The proposed project seeks to enhance the resilience of the Benguela Current marine fisheries systems to climate change through policy support and institutional capacity building at the regional and national levels, and by introducing climate-resilient management practices in high-risk fisheries. The project is structured around four key components, namely (i) integrating climate change considerations into fisheries planning and policies; (ii) piloting climate-resilient fisheries practices at the local level; (iii) institutional capacity building; and (iv) monitoring and evaluation. The SCCF/LDCF grant would primarily be allocated towards components (i) and (ii).

The proposed project is the first under the SCCF and the LDCF to focus specifically on the climate-resilient management of marine fisheries. The project will strengthen the knowledge base and institutional capacities for climate-resilient fisheries management and pilot innovative practices. As a result, the project is well positioned to inform and catalyze additional investments in the region and beyond. The project has been designed with sustainability clearly in mind, building on existing institutional arrangements at the regional and national levels – including experience of prior GEF projects, ensuring adequate capacity building, and integrating relevant knowledge and practice across national and trans-boundary policies and plans. The project is also Namibia's first under the SCCF Adaptation Program (SCCF-A), and Angola's first under the LDCF.

The proposed project is closely aligned with the national communications of Namibia and South Africa, and the Angola NAPA, all of which identify the Benguela Current fisheries as vulnerable to the effects of climate change and in urgent need of adaptive management. The project is also fully aligned with the strategic objectives 1 and 2 of the SCCF, namely reducing vulnerability and enhancing adaptive capacity.

The SCCF and LDCF grants ($3.03 million and $1.7 million respectively), build on several baseline initiatives at the regional and national levels, financed and implemented by FAO ($650,000), the Benguela Current Commission ($980,000), UNDP ($20,000) and the national governments in partnership with regional development banks and bi-lateral agencies ($13 million), with total indicative co-financing amounting to $14.65 million.