GCA Announces Landmark Collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank on Climate Resilience and Agricultural Value Chain Development in Zamfara State, Nigeria
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otterdam, Netherlands, 24 March 2025 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) announced today its first collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) on an ambitious climate resilience project aimed at strengthening food security and agricultural value chains in Zamfara State, Nigeria. This milestone partnership—formally known as the “Zamfara State Climate Change Adaptation and Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (ZACADEP)”— marks a significant step forward in diversifying GCA’s program portfolio beyond existing partnerships with the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
ZACADEP aligns closely with Nigeria’s national efforts to reduce poverty, improve food and nutrition security, and boost sustainable agricultural productivity. The Islamic Development Bank’s total investment of US$54.12 million will, among other goals, fund crop productivity enhancements, climate change resilience and mitigation measures, women and youth empowerment programs, capacity-building for community development associations, and effective project management and coordination.
GCA’s support will help integrate targeted adaptation measures to ensure climate resilience is woven into every element of the project’s design and implementation. These measures include conducting comprehensive climate risk and vulnerability assessments to identify threats to key crop value chains, developing a statewide digital extension and early warning system to provide farmers with real-time climate advisories, and delivering focused capacity-building initiatives that equip both farming communities and local project staff with in-depth knowledge on climate-smart agricultural practices. These interventions reinforce ZACADEP’s core mission to improve agricultural productivity, bolster rural livelihoods, and enhance climate resilience in 14 Local Government Areas across Zamfara State.
“This collaboration is a critical step in demonstrating how investment in adaptation can not only safeguard livelihoods but also catalyze inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” said Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. “ZACADEP underscores the power of forging strong partnerships between science, finance, and policy to help smallholder farmers adapt to worsening climate risks. By integrating digital extension systems, climate risk assessments, and capacity enhancement programs, we will contribute to transform agricultural value chains in Zamfara State into resilient engines of prosperity. Together with the Islamic Development Bank, we aim to lay a solid foundation for climate adaptation models that will benefit millions of people—not only in Nigeria, but across Africa and other vulnerable regions worldwide.”
Zamfara State faces myriad climate and environmental challenges—from drought, flooding, and desertification to extreme heat waves and soil erosion. By embedding comprehensive climate assessments, early warning systems, and targeted capacity-building into ZACADEP, GCA and IsDB will support farmers to adapt effectively to these conditions, minimize risks, and help close adaptation gaps. Among the anticipated project outputs are newly constructed or rehabilitated small earth dams, energy-saving stoves and biogas systems, orchard establishment for income generation, and the promotion of digitally enabled climate advisories for farmers.
This partnership leverages GCA’s ongoing involvement in climate adaptation solutions throughout Africa, including engagement with CGIAR institutions to provide technical support for tailored, science-based resilience measures. By addressing climate vulnerability at the sub-national level, ZACADEP underscores GCA’s commitment to forging scalable adaptation models that benefit low-income and food-insecure communities.
