Harare, Zimbabwe | 11 May 2026 |

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Embassy of Sweden in Harare, officially launched a five-day climate finance capacity-building workshop today, under the Leveraging Investments and Finance for a Green Transition (LIFT) program.

The workshop convenes over 50 representatives from more than 30 government ministries, financial institutions, and development partners to enhance the country’s institutional capacity to access and mobilize climate finance.

Zimbabwe faces a climate finance challenge including recurrent droughts, land degradation, and growing climate variability, while also pursuing ambitious climate targets under its revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0). Yet climate finance mobilization at USD 121 million over four years is far below what is needed, according to the World Bank Report 2024. The workshop aims to support national institutions in developing the technical skills required to translate climate priorities into investment-ready projects and funding proposals.

The LIFT program, launched by Sida and GGGI at the Second African Climate Summit in September 2025, was designed precisely to strengthen climate finance readiness and project preparation capacity across Africa. The Harare workshop marks one of the program’s first major in-country capacity-building engagements.

The workshop was opened by Mrs. Emili Kinloch-Perez, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden in Harare, who spoke to the breadth of participation in the room and the institutional capacity that climate finance access requires:

“It is encouraging to see strong participation from a wide range of stakeholders today – including government, development partners, financial institutions, and the private sector. Your presence reflects an important reality: climate finance is no longer only an environmental issue. It is central to building resilient economies, strengthening food systems, supporting sustainable infrastructure, creating jobs, and unlocking innovation and investment for the future.

Experience across Africa shows that access to climate finance depends not only on the availability of funding, but also on the capacity to prepare strong projects, navigate complex financing mechanisms, and build credible investment pipelines. That is precisely why this workshop matters.”

Mrs. Emili Kinloch-Perez, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden in Harare, delivers the opening remarks. Cresta Lodge, Harare, 11 May 2026. © Embassy of Sweden in Harare

Building on that framing, Mrs. Ulrika Åkesson, Counsellor and Team Leader of the Regional Team Environment at the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi addressed the coordination across institutions that climate finance demands: 

“Climate finance cannot be mobilised by one institution acting alone. Governments, financial institutions, donors, the private sector, and technical partners all have a role to play. Strong coordination and shared understanding are essential if we are to build credible pipelines of transformative climate investments. Through the Swedish support and the ongoing workshop, with a number of important actors, Zimbabwe will be positioned to access climate finance from the multilateral climate funds as well as strengthening its climate finance architecture”

Mrs Ulrika Åkesson, Counsellor and Team Leader of the Regional Team Environment, Embassy of Sweden, Nairobi addresses the multi-institutional coordination that climate finance mobilisation requires during the opening remarks of the workshop. Cresta Lodge, Harare, 11 May 2026. © Embassy of Sweden in Harare

Speaking on behalf of the host government, Ms. Munashe Mukonoweshuro, Acting Deputy Director at the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, situated the workshop within Zimbabwe’s national climate framework:

“As Government, we are particularly encouraged by the focus on developing a pipeline of high-quality climate projects capable of attracting international support and investment, in line with achieving targets set in our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 Country Statement and National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (NAP) Strong and ultimately Food Security, Climate Resilience, and Environmental Protection as prioritized in Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy (NDS) 2. Project preparation capacity is essential if Zimbabwe is to fully leverage the opportunities emerging within the evolving global climate finance landscape.”

Ms. Munashe Mukonoweshuro, Acting Deputy Director, Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, situates the workshop within Zimbabwe’s national climate framework under NDC 3.0 and the National Adaptation Plan during the opening remarks of the workshop. Cresta Lodge, Harare, 11 May 2026. © Embassy of Sweden in Harare

The workshop is structured in two phases. During the first two days, participants will examine the global climate finance architecture, instruments ranging from grants and concessional loans to blended finance and carbon markets, and lessons from climate finance implementation across Africa.

The remaining three days will focus on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) concept note development module for a technically nominated group of participants. Sessions will cover theory of change, results frameworks, environmental and social safeguards, gender mainstreaming, financial structuring, and the full pathway from concept note to approved funding proposal.

By the workshop’s close, participants are expected to have developed draft concept note outlines aligned with GCF requirements, laying the groundwork for at least ten validated concept notes by program end regionally.

Participants at the LIFT Zimbabwe capacity-building workshop during an interactive session, Cresta Lodge Harare, 11-15 May 2026. © Embassy of Sweden in Harare

The Harare workshop builds on LIFT’s broader mandate across seven African partner countries, with a target to mobilize at least USD 50 million in climate finance by 2027. Following the workshop, Embassy of Sweden and GGGI will continue supporting selected participating institutions through technical assistance under the LIFT including concept note refinement, accreditation readiness, and project pipeline development.

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ABOUT SIDA

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) is Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation. Working on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government, Sida supports sustainable development and poverty reduction in partner countries worldwide.

ABOUT GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based intergovernmental organization founded in 2012. GGGI delivers programs in over 51 countries with governments, investors, and partners to advance climate action and green growth. In 2024, GGGI mobilized USD 3.9 billion in green and climate investment, bringing its lifetime total to USD 14 billion. Learn more: www.gggi.org

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Global Green Growth Institute

GGGI Media Contact:  Isabelle Ky, communication associate | E-mail:  Isabelle.ky@gggi.org

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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM: 

 Ali Haider, Program Lead, LIFT | E-mail: ali.haider@gggi.org