The Environmental Management Agency is Zimbabwe’s accredited National Implement Entity to the Adaptation Fund, a development which will see the agency getting direct access to climate financing for implementing concrete adaptation programs.

The journey towards accreditation was however, not a walk in the park.

It started way back in 2016, when the designated authority, which is the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry’s Climate Change Management Department, nominated the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to undergo the accreditation process so as to become a National Implementing Entity.

The basis of the nomination was the agency’s fiduciary standing, capacity to deliver, organizational reputation, and mandate that relates to climate change adaptation.

The nomination was further strengthened by previous experience in the implementation of flagship and community-driven environmental conservation and rehabilitation programs.

A multidisciplinary team as established within EMA to facilitate the accreditation process and comprised of the following expertise; legal, finance, audit, projects and communications.

The process was daunting, involving submission of the application in 2016, screening, reviewing submission of written documents and Skype interviews in 2017, visit to Zimbabwe by the accreditation panel from the Adaptation Fund Board in 2018 for ground truthing and face to face interviews with stakeholders, such as the Environment Management Board (EMB), World Bank, Auditor General, World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), Global Environment Facility (GEF) Focal Point, Climate Change Management Department and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. 

During this period, the Agency took advantage of the South-South Grant of Peer to Peer Mentoring, a climate finance readiness program meant to train countries accrediting for the Adaption Fund.

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya’s National Implementing Entity (NIE) partnered with EMA during the accreditation process resulting in exchange visits, both high and technical level, between the two organizations. 

The long-awaited accreditation came on the 11th of June 2019 and was celebrated through a launch to raise awareness on accessing the Adaptation Fund for improved climate change adaptation and resilience-building in Zimbabwe.

Over 200 participants attended the event that was officiated by the Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

During the launch, EMA indicated its vision of creating a climate-resilient society steered by transformative adaptation measures for economic growth.

Priority sectors identified for intervention were energy, water, agriculture, and biodiversity.