The NDC Support Center: A testament to the power of partnership

The backdrop

“Commitments to net zero are worth zero without the plans, policies and actions to back them up.” 

– United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

December 2015. COP 21. The Paris Agreement – adopted then and there by 196 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – stood as a milestone in the multilateral climate change process: for the first time, a binding agreement brought all nations together in a common cause to commit to combating climate change through the pursuit of reaching a net-zero emissions target.

However, here we are, almost a decade later, and – according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – global warming will continue to rise in the near future (2021–2040), mainly due to increased cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Which seamlessly brings us to the relevance of the above quote by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres: with continued emissions affecting all major climate system components, government actions at sub-national, national, and international level – backed by both civil society and the private sector – more than ever have a crucial role to play in enabling and accelerating shifts in the development of pathways towards sustainability and climate resilient development.

Fortunately, the rising level of ambition is, and will continue to be supported by the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement and its successive climate agreements, with at their core the, in 2015 introduced, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): national climate plans that highlight policy development and target setting at the national and sub-national levels, with greater transparency in climate action and support as a result.
 

A mission to turn goals into reality

As laudable and necessary as NDCs may be, in practice they don’t come without their own set of challenges –including those specific to developing countries.

First, they cover a wide range of sectors, requiring considerable statistical and analytical expertise across government agencies to develop national inventories and design effective mitigation strategies. However, due to the unavailability of high-quality and robust data, statistics are often based on estimates.

In addition, the complexity of the core modelling and analytical work often requires that it be outsourced to external experts. This particularly appears to be the case for many African countries, where the necessary expertise is still developing and growing.  And while many initiatives have been taken to address this capacity issue, challenges remain due to even broader issues such as further financial and technological constraints – highlighting the importance of international cooperation and an alternative approach to capacity building.

Indeed, current capacity building doesn’t seem to be tailored to the challenges at hand: it tends to offer short-term training rather than long-term support, to promote one-size-fits-all solutions that don’t fit all and to lack a thorough understanding of data capacity. It tends to focus mainly on the technical aspect of modelling tools, rather than on learning how to use and interpret the underlying models to design fair and efficient climate policies.

To help address these challenges, 2021 saw the African Energy Commission (AFREC) and VITO join forces to establish the NDC Support Center.

Pieter Lodewijks, Programme Manager at VITO explains:

"With funding from the Flemish Government’s Department of the Environment, we launched the NDC Support Center as a joint effort to address the challenges at hand and fill the current gaps in African capacity building programmes. Since 2021, the NDC Support Center has played a critical role in enabling African Union member states to navigate the complexities of climate policy in general and the energy sector in particular."

So far, so good

The NDC Support Center was brought into existence to provide technical and financial assistance to help African countries improve their capacity in energy statistics, modelling, and GHG reporting.

Building on this foundation, in 2021, a tailored Pilot Program was launched to effectively support four countries – Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique and Uganda. This programme included assistance in capacity building to enable these countries to produce accurate data, develop and implement climate change mitigation models and policies in line with their national energy sector priorities.

In the years that followed, the Pilot Program successfully delivered key results and best practices, while identifying the evolving needs of the four participating countries to achieve their ambitious goals through improved planning.

Maarten Pelgrims, Project Manager of the NDC Support Center at VITO reflects: 

“The proven track record of the Pilot Program in building policy-driven resilience to climate change, ensuring sustainable development, and strengthening institutional capacity within governments underscores its transformative impact on the African policymaker’s community.”

A groundbreaking White Paper

While the Program established improved governance processes for NDC reporting under the respective Paris Agreement commitments of Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique and Uganda, it equally identified key challenges that could hinder the effectiveness of current global support in general.

Because, indeed, although African countries are making rapid progress in contributing to global climate neutrality while pursuing sustainable growth, they still face many challenges that will require substantial support from the global community to achieve their ambitious economic and environmental goals.

Thus, our team put pen to paper to share their analysis of overall findings and insights in a White Paper – proposing to redefine the traditional paradigm of capacity building in the shape and form of six special recommendations.

Discover the White Paper:

The inspiring NDC Support Center Forum

To crown the Pilot Program’s remarkable progress and the invaluable insights that flowed from it, the NDC Support Center Forum was held in Brussels in October 2024.

This stakeholder forum brought together government representatives – including His Excellency Ibrahim Matola, the Minister of Energy of Malawi – as well as directors and focal points from Uganda and Mozambique. Representatives from Flanders, international organisations, development cooperation agencies and research institutions were also present – including the Secretary General of the Flanders Chancellery and Foreign Office Julie Bynens, the Executive Director of the African Energy Commission (AFREC) Rashid Abdallah and VITO’s CEO Inge Neven. Co-hosted by the African Union Commission, this unique setting stimulated meaningful discussions and provided an invaluable opportunity to identify areas of mutual interest and cooperation.

Participants delved into the Pilot Program’s key outcomes and best practices, exploring ways to leverage these achievements for future joint ventures. Together, they laid the groundwork for extending the program’s successes and fostering stronger partnerships.

By bringing together diverse stakeholders and fostering collaborative action, the NDC Support Center Forum exemplified the power of partnership in advancing climate resilience, sustainable development and institutional capacity across Africa.

Towards a brighter future… together!

While the success of the Pilot Program has demonstrated the power of partnership and capacity building, significant challenges remain. As  Leen Govaerts, Unit Director at VITO, explains: 

“These encouraging results do not mean that all barriers have been overcome. Full independence in the development and communication of climate planning objectives at the global level remains a challenge and will require continued support to consolidate the foundations laid by the NDC Support Center Pilot Program. Addressing institutional capacity gaps – particularly in energy data and statistics – and ensuring active participation in modelling and policy development are essential for African countries to effectively address climate change challenges.”

Recognising these remaining barriers, the NDC Support Center is actively planning its next steps to expand its impact. Plans are underway to launch a joint strategy that will expand the Center’s support across Africa, furthering its mission to help countries meet their Paris Agreement commitments and transition to net zero emissions.

Indeed, building on the strong foundations laid by the Pilot Program, the future of the NDC Support Center is now focused on scaling efforts to create transformative, lasting change across Africa.

Reflecting on this new horizon, Rashid Abdallah, Executive Director of the African Energy Commission (AFREC), articulated this vision as follows: 

“In view of the results of the NDC Support Center Pilot Program, AFREC and VITO are committed to pooling their efforts to mobilize more resources with a view to extending support to all Member States of the African Union.”

In short: this is more than a mission – it is a commitment to ensure that African countries have the sustained support they need to navigate the complexities of climate policy and make meaningful progress towards a sustainable and equitable future.

To be continued…