World Bank grant to support nature-based climate infrastructure for Bangui and Berbérati aims to strengthen urban adaptation and responsible business. ESG BROADCAST shares key takeaways.
Regulatory Extract:
The Central African Republic (CAR) has received a significant reinforcement in its climate adaptation efforts with the World Bank’s approval of an additional $9.175 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This funding will scale up the Inclusive and Resilient Cities Project (PROVIR) to include targeted nature-based solutions in the cities of Bangui and Berbérati, particularly focusing on urban forest regeneration and green space development.
This new financial injection expands the PROVIR initiative, originally designed to enhance urban resilience in CAR through infrastructure development, to now explicitly include ecosystem-based adaptation. More than 300,000 residents—including vulnerable groups such as displaced persons, returnees, women, and youth—stand to benefit from this enhanced support for flood and erosion risk mitigation. The project is aligned with the World Bank’s Climate Change Action Plan (2021–2025), which promotes green, resilient, and inclusive urban growth.
CAR remains one of the most climate-vulnerable countries globally, facing worsening risks from deforestation, flooding, and extreme weather. The integration of nature-based solutions is expected to significantly boost the adaptive capacity of urban areas. According to the World Bank’s Country Manager for CAR, Guido Rurangwa, the initiative “will increase rainwater retention capacity, reduce flooding and soil erosion, and simultaneously create livelihoods through forestry and aquatic ecosystems.” These co-benefits underscore the multi-functional value of ecosystem-based urban planning.
Technically and financially, the project’s expansion has been underpinned by support from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the City Climate Finance Gap Fund, and NBS Invest. These entities provided early-stage technical assistance, project design input, and capital mobilisation strategies that shaped the new nature-based agenda under PROVIR.
The nature-based infrastructure will be co-implemented by local municipal bodies in coordination with national climate agencies and will follow World Bank safeguards and results-monitoring protocols. Implementation will also include capacity-building components and community participation to ensure both scalability and equitable access.
Strategic significance lies in the project’s potential to mainstream nature-based urban adaptation within one of the world’s most fragile contexts. For sustainability officers and ESG stakeholders, this represents a blueprint for blending green infrastructure with social equity and disaster risk reduction. As pressure grows on urban centres in vulnerable countries to deliver climate-resilient services, CAR’s move marks a precedent in responsible business planning and environmental governance.
ESG BROADCAST will continue monitoring the updates related to this topic. Stay tuned to be updated on the related policy and pivotal regulatory shift.
