Climate Finance and ESG

Friends Consult provides expert climate finance advisory and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) consulting in Uganda, helping organisations — from financial institutions and agribusinesses to government agencies and NGOs — access climate funding, design bankable climate projects, embed ESG principles and navigate the complex landscape of international climate finance and sustainability standards.

Uganda is highly vulnerable to climate change, and mobilising adequate climate finance is essential to building resilience and driving a low-carbon transition. At the same time, international investors, development finance institutions and global value chain buyers increasingly require ESG compliance. Friends Consult bridges these gaps between Uganda’s climate and ESG needs and the international frameworks that fund and certify them.

Our Climate Finance Advisory Services

Climate Finance Access

We identify and help clients access climate finance from multilateral funds including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund, Global Environment Facility (GEF) and bilateral climate programmes. We support the full project development cycle — from concept note to accreditation.

Bankable Climate Project Development

We work with clients to develop investment-ready climate projects, including climate-smart agriculture programmes, renewable energy projects, nature-based solutions and climate resilience infrastructure. We prepare full project documents, financial models and feasibility studies.

Climate Risk Assessment

We conduct climate risk and vulnerability assessments for businesses, financial institutions and government agencies, helping them understand physical and transition risks and integrate climate considerations into strategy, operations and lending.

Green Bond Frameworks

We support financial institutions in developing green bond frameworks aligned with the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Green Bond Principles, enabling them to issue climate bonds and access international capital markets.

NDC and Climate Policy Support

We provide technical advisory to government agencies and development partners working on Uganda’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), climate action plans and sectoral climate policies.

Our ESG Consulting Services

ESG Baseline Assessment

We conduct ESG baseline assessments to evaluate an organisation’s current environmental impact, social practices and governance structures — identifying gaps against international standards such as the IFC Performance Standards, UN SDGs and national environmental regulations.

ESG Strategy & Roadmap

We develop tailored ESG strategies that are practical, affordable and aligned with an organisation’s business model. We work with boards and senior management to set ESG targets, assign responsibilities and build internal governance structures for ESG delivery.

ESG Reporting

We help organisations produce credible ESG reports for investors, donors and regulators — using frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Integrated Reporting.

ESG for Financial Institutions

We support banks and microfinance institutions in developing environmental and social management systems (ESMS), green lending policies and ESG credit risk frameworks — aligning with IFC Performance Standards and MFI standards.

Board & Management Training

We deliver ESG training for boards, risk committees and senior management, building internal understanding of ESG risks and opportunities in the East African context.

Track Record

Friends Consult has supported multiple programmes at the intersection of climate, agriculture and finance — including work with aBi Finance, GIZ, USAID and the Uganda Bankers’ Association — building the capacity of financial institutions to lend to climate-smart agriculture and green businesses.

Core Focus Areas

• Green Finance
• Blue Finance
• Carbon Footprint Profiling (Assessment, Reduction Strategies, Offsetting and Neutrality)
• ESG Sustainability Reporting
• Greening Financial Institution Products and Services
• Greening Institutions’ Operations and Policies
• Training and Capacity Building

Ready to access climate finance or build your ESG strategy? Contact Friends Consult