One of the persistent challenges in Africa’s climate governance landscape has been the lack of comprehensive tools to track and monitor the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by countries under the Paris Agreement. While many countries have made commendable pledges, assessing real progress has remained a difficult exercise. In response to this gap, the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), in partnership with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and the West African Green Economics Development Institute (WAGEDI), with funding from ACCF, has developed a web-based NDC Implementation Tracking Tool and Index Platform that reports on countries’ progress based on available data.
The NDC Implementation Index Platform is a web-based tool that enables selected countries to track, analyze, and compare their progress in implementing NDCs. Developed under the project “Building the Capacity of Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries to Measure Progress in NDC Implementation Using Tracking Tools and Indexes,” the tool serves as a decision-support system, helping countries assess how well they are translating climate ambition into action.
The Index is structured around five thematic components: Governance, Mitigation, Adaptation, Finance and Technology Transfer, and Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV). It generates standardized performance scores for each component based on available data. These scores provide a clear snapshot of national efforts and enable cross-country comparisons that reveal both leadership and areas in need of improvement. In doing so, the platform fosters transparency, encourages peer learning, and supports more targeted policy decision-making.
Preliminary results from the platform reveal promising trends. Countries like Ethiopia and Kenya scored relatively high in the Governance and MRV components, reflecting strong institutional frameworks and reporting systems. Zimbabwe emerged as one of the top performers overall, demonstrating well-rounded efforts across multiple NDC dimensions. Conversely, several countries showed lower performance in the Finance and Technology Transfer component, which signals persistent gaps in access to climate finance and innovation infrastructure.
The platform’s architecture is designed with user accessibility, security, and scalability in mind. It integrates verified data from national sources, applies automated validation and scoring mechanisms, and presents the results through an interactive, intuitive, and multilingual interface. More than just a reporting tool, it is a strategic enabler of compliance with the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement.
By providing countries with a structured, African-led system to measure NDC performance, the platform enhances institutional accountability and empowers stakeholders, from government agencies to civil society and development partners, with the evidence and confidence needed to align planning, funding, and implementation. As countries prepare to update or submit their next round of NDCs, the ATPS Index stands out as a unique, timely, and transformative tool that puts data at the center of climate action. Access the platform by clicking here
