We have a deep commitment to advancing Africa’s sustainability, in environment, in economy and in society.
ASCENT has a strong team of in-house experts and a wide network and a database of dozens of experts. This covers different fields of expertise that address the most complex challenges facing Africa.
The ASCENT Approach has been highly successful because it is entrenched in the tenets of learning-by-doing where we engage local experts in doing the tasks so that the local capacity is built by actual delivery rather than training.
100+
Experts
bilingual with more than 10 years of experience with offices in West, Central and East Africa
17
Climate Finance Projects
to foster climate resilience, capacity building and sustainable development
100%
Score
for projects submitted in main environmental multilateral funds, every year since 2015
CREATING AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE THAT DRIVES PROGRESS
Our work transforms markets, communities, and lives.
ASCENT’s interventions have so far benefited: the Central African Republic, Togo, Cameroon and Mali through the development and implementation of projects funded by the main environmental multilateral funds, namely Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Adaptation Fund (AF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In addition to these projects, ASCENT is developing projects for Mali (02), Senegal (02) and Kenya (03) for the Green Climate Fund. Additionally, ASCENT is supporting Niger, Togo and Zimbabwe to mobilize more financial resources under the GCF’s Country Readiness Support Programme, which enables countries (institutions and individuals) to better engage and access GCF resources.
Our Strategy
In our continued approach in being impact-oriented and our commitment to understanding challenges, creating solutions and establishing a platform of partnership and shared knowledge to assist governments and the people of Africa, ASCENT has forged partnership with many experts and institutions by recognizing the convergence of our respective missions and the existence of synergy opportunities to give more depth to our actions.
Reinforcing this endeavor is a continental value-base that underscores inter connectedness and mutual cooperation. We recognize the complexity of the human environment and that making changes can only come from the individual or individuals working in a collective community, encouraged and stimulated by government policies and actions. We join innovative and technical expertise with strategic and scientific skills, practical orientation, and efficient problem-solving — our approach to advising covers all production and services phases and the entire project cycle.
IFAD NDA Partnership
IFAD in partnership with ASCENT launched the NDA Partnership in Agriculture. This strategic partnership aims to enhance the cooperation between IFAD, an accredited entity, and NDAs
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SLM
Koulikoro
scaling up and replicating successful sustainable land management and agroforestry practices in the Koulikoro region of Mali
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Our Services
We specialise in working in this multi-disciplinary arena. Our services range from strategy, capacity development, evaluation and monitoring, to technology and knowledge management consulting. We plan and manage multifaceted projects for private and public clients and effectively develop mixed national and international development programmes.
Projects in Concept
TOGETHER CREATE A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL
WHO NEEDS CLIMATE FINANCE ANYWAYS?
Why is climate finance becoming such a topic in the economy?
Climate change disrupts development, a gap that climate finance is filling. The next few days and weeks are arguably historic in the emerging sector of climate finance. On the 23-29th June, GEF is holding the Sixth GEF Assembly in Vietnam.
Read More →
CLIMATE CHANGE
Effectiveness of carbon pricing & implications for African nations
A carbon tax and cap and trade system have for goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but how do governments use them in reality? How does the concept fit in the African context?
Flagship Projects
ASCENT delivers advisory and technical support for climate finance, environmental governance, and sustainable development initiatives across Africa. Our work supports governments, development partners, and financial institutions in developing climate-resilient economies and sustainable development strategies.
Gap Analysis on Access and Benefit Sharing in the Great Green Wall Countries
ASCENT delivered a gap analysis of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) across the 18 Great Green Wall countries under a UNEP mandate aligned with the Nagoya Protocol. The analysis assessed how countries regulate access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge and whether benefits from their use are shared fairly and equitably with local communities.
Objectives:
- Establish a baseline of ABS readiness across the 18 Great Green Wall countries
- Identify legislative and institutional gaps affecting implementation
- Provide practical recommendations for countries and regional bodies
- Support regional coordination and harmonisation
- Provide a roadmap for implementation through 2030
Mali Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency
ASCENT is developing “Strengthening Mali’s Climate Transparency Framework”, a four year national initiative led by the Agency for Environment and Sustainable Development (AEDD), supported by UNDP and financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
- Institutionalized national climate transparency system
- National coordination mechanism for climate transparency
- Data sharing protocols across ministries
- Strengthened greenhouse gas inventory system
- National NDC tracking registry
Burundi Readiness
ASCENT supported the Government of Burundi in developing a Private Sector Action Plan to accelerate investment in a low carbon and climate resilient economy through the Green Climate Fund Readiness Programme.
Mali Readiness
ASCENT is supporting Mali’s readiness work to mobilise private sector access to climate finance by addressing institutional barriers, strengthening engagement with the Green Climate Fund, and developing a pipeline of bankable projects.
Senegal Climate Smart Agriculture Finance Facility
ASCENT supported the design of a Green Climate Finance Facility to scale climate smart agriculture investments in Senegal through concessional finance and technical assistance delivered with La Banque Agricole and partner financial institutions.
Burundi GCF SAP017
ASCENT contributed technical support to the development of the PNSADR IM programme to strengthen food security and rural livelihoods in the Imbo and Moso basins through climate resilient agricultural investments.
Kenya Climate Risk Assessment
ASCENT conducted a climate risk assessment for sustainable urban drainage systems in Isiolo, Machakos and Malindi to ensure infrastructure resilience to extreme rainfall and flooding.
Somaliland Climate Risk Assessment
ASCENT conducted feasibility and climate risk assessments for small scale business development initiatives in Somaliland to integrate climate resilience into SME investment planning.
How top companies excel with digital and analytics
Six key areas to help senior executives manage a tech-enabled transformation
The competitive dynamics of digital and analytics put enormous pressure on incumbents’ strategies and operating models. Companies that apply advanced technologies and new ways of working generate more value than those that don’t. Capturing that prize requires executives to rethink and reinvent every aspect of their business, from strategy to operations. Read on to learn more about the elements of successful tech-enabled transformations.
Digital ecosystems—in which diverse companies use online platforms to integrate related offerings—are changing industry dynamics and could generate almost a third of global sales by 2025.
Strategy: The bold pursuit of digital’s value
A digital strategy can’t be incremental. Top companies make big moves to reinvent themselves for the digital environment.
Leaders balance their strategic priorities between digitizing their core businesses and creating innovative digital business models, including models built on digital platforms. They also up the pace of strategy setting, from old-fashioned annual planning to a continuous process that helps them respond more quickly to new developments.
Digital strategy: The four fights you have to win
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A winning operating model for digital strategy
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Top-performing companies commit as many resources to developing new digital businesses as they do to digitizing their core.
Organizations’ digital-capital allocation in past 3 years, by objective, %
Talent: Assembling a digital workforce
Successful companies match their workforces to their digital priorities and devote extra effort to recruitment and training.
Leaders balance their strategic priorities between digitizing their core businesses and creating innovative digital business models, including models built on digital platforms. They also up the pace of strategy setting, from old-fashioned annual planning to a continuous process that helps them respond more quickly to new developments.
Digital strategy: The four fights you have to win
→
A winning operating model for digital strategy
→
Top-performing companies commit as many resources to developing new digital businesses as they do to digitizing their core.
Organizations’ digital-capital allocation in past 3 years, by objective, %
Agile: How learning speeds delivery
New ways of working provide organizations with the pace and flexibility to fulfill their customers’ rapidly changing needs.
Leaders balance their strategic priorities between digitizing their core businesses and creating innovative digital business models, including models built on digital platforms. They also up the pace of strategy setting, from old-fashioned annual planning to a continuous process that helps them respond more quickly to new developments.
Digital strategy: The four fights you have to win
→
of respondents in agile units report a moderate or significant increase in overall performance since their agile transformations began.
On average, respondents in agile units are 1.5 times more likely than others to report financial outperformance relative to peers
Analytics: Enabling data to guide decisions
Effectively applying analytics and AI means building applications that translate data into real-time insights for decision makers.
Leaders balance their strategic priorities between digitizing their core businesses and creating innovative digital business models, including models built on digital platforms. They also up the pace of strategy setting, from old-fashioned annual planning to a continuous process that helps them respond more quickly to new developments.
Digital strategy: The four fights you have to win
→
Top-performing companies commit as many resources to developing new digital businesses as they do to digitizing their core.
Organizations’ digital-capital allocation in past 3 years, by objective, %
Successful scalers are 2 times more likely to prioritize top decision-making processes and are 2.5 times more likely to establish decision-making rights and accountability.