African Cities Water Adaptation Fund (ACWA Fund)
The African Cities Water Adaptation Fund (ACWA Fund) uses an integrated approach to finance innovative urban water resilience solutions at scale, with the aim of leveraging at least $5 billion in funding and financing to implement strategic and innovative projects in 100 African cities by 2032.
WRI is working with partners, including the African Center for Cities, ICLEI Africa, WaterAid, Resilient Cities Network, Arup, Cap-Net UNDP along with a strong steering committee with representation from key financial institutions and private sector investors, to develop a one-stop shop for African cities, offering full project lifecycle support.
The ACWA Fund will support local leaders to utilize the latest knowledge and resources to understand climate-water risks and socioeconomic impacts; identify, prioritize and prepare projects; structure deals and connect to grants and capital; and scale delivery by standardizing project development manuals, deals and contracts.
The African Cities Water Adaptation Platform (ACWA Platform) is a coalition of cities and partners including research institutes, civil society actors, development agencies, national governments, businesses, private sector investment groups, national banks, professional consultancies and associations joining forces to advance urban water resilience in Africa.
The ACWA Platform aims to coordinate, align, harmonize and scale existing programs, expertise and solutions across a wide network of partners to accelerate advocacy and implementation of new solutions to build resilient water systems in cities. Building on existing work in six African cities, the platform partners with city champions to overcome water challenges through research, planning and analysis on urban water resilience pathways; providing technical assistance and capacity-building support to identify, design, finance and implement innovative solutions; and leveraging collective action to improve the enabling environment for mature water resilience programs.
The African Cities Water Adaptation Fund (ACWA Fund) is the key funding and financing instrument of the platform, with the target of leveraging $5 billion to scale urban water resilience solutions to 100 African cities by 2032.
Developed through deep engagement with a diverse group of institutions and individuals, the ACWA Platform is founded on a set of strategic priorities and principles, as identified in the 2030 Joint Agenda for Urban Water Resilience in Africa, and a strong call for implementation.
