Powering climate innovation: local partners fuel West Africa's climate tech pipeline

Collaboration isn’t just a feature of CATAL1.5°T – it’s the driving force. We have built a network of highly motivated and skilled local and regional players across eight countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. We aim to evolve their climate innovation ecosystem into a strong community united by the common goal of transitioning West Africa to a net-zero economy. By enabling at least one partner per country with trainings, we provide ongoing local start-up support through our Climathons, pre-accelerator and accelerator programmes. Together, they are tackling some of the region’s most pressing climate challenges through collaboration and shared expertise.

By fostering this network, CATAL1.5°T ensures that our partners not only gain access to knowledge and resources but also contribute their unique strengths to the larger goal of climate action. Our partners are Ecosystem Support Organisations (ESOs), Hubs, Consultancies or Funds that have been working with local ventures for several years.

With the CATAL1.5°T Platform West Africa now fully operational, the movement towards a more sustainable future in West Africa is in full swing. The core of our mission is to build a pipeline of investable and impactful climate tech ventures in the region. This can only be achieved through collaboration, where our local and regional partners work together offering start-ups seamless, stage-specific support that ensures sustained progress from ideation to scaling.

A key component of our initiative is to unlock the full potential of our partners: we provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to successfully help start-ups to the next stage. One of the ways we do this is through specialized training programmes focused on climate mitigation, paradigm shifts, adaptation, and resilience. Additionally, our partners receive trainings on Environment, Social, Governance (ESG), gender equality, and diversity, as well as investment readiness. By equipping them with the latest in climate technology and impact assessment, we empower them to lead transformative projects within their local ecosystems.

These training programmes have been designed to enhance the capabilities of our partners, ensuring that they can apply cutting-edge methods and adopt global best practices to support local climate ventures. Our partners will be better positioned to drive climate-focused solutions with measurable impact.