BY:
Data for green finance mobilisation
May 27th, 2025
Searching for reliable data on African climate finance online is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack—difficult, time-consuming, and often frustratingly unfruitful
For policymakers and researchers this is a common uphill task. Obtaining critical information on climate action is simply no easy feat. Researchers pursuing vital data on climate resilience spent countless hours sifting through scattered reports. Investors eager to participate in green finance opportunities encounter fragmented databases and incomplete analyses, impeding strategic decision-making and investment flows. This scattered nature of information makes locating relevant data difficult and time consuming, with no platform consolidating published information in Kenya and largely Africa.
Recognising this crucial gap, the Kenya Climate Directory emerged as an innovative solution. Officially launched during the Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in September 2023, the Kenya Climate Directory has transformed how climate information is accessed, consolidating over 3,000 documents across 110 climate themes and sectors onto a single digital platform. This platform became even more impactful with financial seed funding support from FSD Kenya, significantly enhancing its technical sophistication, thematic depth, and strategic connectivity within the climate finance ecosystem.
Bridging Kenya’s climate knowledge gap
Before the Kenya Climate Directory, Kenya’s climate professionals navigated a fragmented knowledge ecosystem, diminishing efficiency and slowing climate action. The launch of KCD marked a turning point by providing targeted technical support, broadening thematic coverage, and facilitating robust institutional collaborations. Today, KCD stands as a comprehensive climate information repository trusted by a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from government policymakers to private sector financiers.
Delivering tangible results with enhanced data
With FSD Kenya’s strategic support, the Kenya Climate Directory has rapidly advanced, becoming a comprehensive and robust knowledge hub that according to the directory latest data hosts over 3,000 curated climate resources from more than 700 institutions and 3,118 authors. This extensive collection spans essential climate topics such as adaptation finance, carbon credits, renewable energy, clean cooking, ESG investments, climate-smart agriculture, and detailed policy frameworks. The Kenya Climate Directory has significantly strengthened local climate action by integrating detailed county-level policies, legislation, and research, empowering stakeholders to tailor interventions effectively across Kenya’s 47 counties.
Additionally, the introduction of advanced artificial intelligence features has markedly improved resource discoverability, enabling users to quickly access precise and relevant climate data. These enhancements have led to a surge in user engagement, with website traffic more than doubling from 10,000 visits in early 2024 to over 21,000 by February 2025, highlighting the directory’s growing value in informing policy formulation and strategic investment decisions. The directory has been nominated for the Nairobi Climate Network (NCN) awards 2024 and also the EarthShot Prize highlighting its contribution to the climate ecosystem.
Empowering the private sector to mobilise climate finance
A critical barrier to mobilising private sector green finance across Kenya and Africa at large has traditionally been inadequate access to credible, actionable climate data. The Kenya Climate Directory directly addresses this challenge by providing clear pathways for private sector engagement. Investors now benefit from consolidated insights into climate risks, regulatory frameworks, and emerging market opportunities, empowering them to strategically align their investments and mitigate risks effectively. Financial institutions gain comprehensive access to climate policy developments, legislative updates, and best practices in climate finance, aligning their products and strategies with sustainable development objectives. Furthermore, the directory facilitates capital flow towards innovative SMEs and impactful climate enterprises by spotlighting successful financial models and instruments, accelerating their growth and enabling broader and more impactful climate actions.
Data as the cornerstone of climate finance
The Kenya Climate Directory stands as a transformative tool, shaping how climate information is accessed and utilised. Through FSD Kenya’s strategic partnership, the directory has evolved beyond a knowledge repository, becoming an essential facilitator of climate finance mobilisation. This intervention illustrates clearly that data-driven decision-making is not only beneficial, but also essential. As Kenya positions itself as a regional leader in green finance, continued investment in robust data systems remains critical. Through platforms like the Kenya Climate Directory, stakeholders across the continent can collectively drive informed investments, policy innovations, and impactful climate action, ensuring that climate finance delivers maximum benefits for Kenya, Africa, and the world at large.
