Yvonne Muthoni Mathenge, director of Climate Change and Environment, Nyeri county in Kenya she sent the message to Danida Fellowship Centre a month after returning home from Denmark. The experience had clearly made an impression, but let’s go back to the beginning. Why were Yvonne and the Kenyan county officials visiting Denmark in the first place?

The answer lays with Kenya’s Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) programme.

From building systems to building partnerships

Denmark has supported the government of Kenya led FLLoCA programme alongside the World Bank and other development partners since 2021. The programme channels climate finance through the country’s 47 county governments to support locally led climate action solutions. It is implemented in phases, with the first phase running from 2021 to 2027.

“Phase I (of the programme) was basically about putting the systems in place, moving finance directly to the counties and involving communities in establishing climate adaptation projects based on their needs and knowledge,” explains Phillip Akello, programme manager at the Danish Embassy in Kenya.

“While phase one was about building systems, the next will be about sustaining them. We realise we cannot do that without the deep involvement of communities at county level – and input from the private sector,” Akello says.

Finding opportunities for collaboration

This is why Kenyan county officials working in the FLLoCA programme travelled to Denmark in September 2026 for the three-week course on People’s Participation and Engagement – Climate Action Focus, organised by Danida Fellowship Centre in collaboration with Emborg Consulting and partners.

The course combined classroom learning, expert presentations and interactions, field visits and work on individual action plans to be implemented back home. The participants visited Samsø Energy Academy, local municipal water cooperatives and nature-restoration projects in Skjoldungernes Land in Lejre. These visits offered practical examples of how communities can participate in decision-making and take ownership of local initiatives.

Although the Danish and Kenyan contexts differ, the experiences and discussions provided inspirations to how community participation and private sector engagement could be strengthened in Kenyan counties.

Throughout the course, the Kenyan delegation explored two closely connected questions: How can communities play a more active role in climate-related decision-making? And how can businesses help make local climate initiatives sustainable?

FLLoCA’s coordinator, Peter Odhengo, frames climate action as an investment opportunity

Joining forces against climate crisis

On 22 September, Danida Fellowship Centre, Danish Industry and Globalnyt.dk held a public meeting with the title “Kenya-Denmark: Joining forces against climate crisis” where Kenyan and Danish representatives from government, business, civil society and academia discussed how private-sector expertise and investment could support locally-led climate action, with focus on one central question: Can private sector investments meet local adaptation needs?

More than 100 people attended in person, with others joining online. The discussions focused on practical opportunities, such as improving water supply systems, reducing food loss and strengthening agricultural production.

Jesper Friis, Director of Emerging Markets at Danish Industry, highlighted that there is potential to include Danish companies, given Denmark’s expertise in climate adaptation solutions, including for example grain handling and storage for farmers, as well as green energy and water solutions.

John Malamba, director of Climate Change and Environment, Taita Taweta County, pointed to opportunities for companies and Kenyan partners to improve the efficiency of water supply systems by helping to ensure that investments remain sustainable in the long term.

Marie Ladekjær Gravesen, senior researcher at DIIS, emphasised the importance of learning from local communities to understand their needs and identify the solutions that work best for them.

Ulla Næsby Tawiah, director of Danida Fellowship Centre, explained that the training course not only encouraged participants to reflect on how new knowledge and approaches may change their work performance, but also on how such changes may influence their professional peers and involved communities. In this way the tailored learning not only helps the individual but also affects their wider county organisations and their networks beyond.

However, local knowledge alone is not enough to bring about lasting solutions. It requires collaboration between those who understand local needs and those who can contribute the necessary technology, expertise and investment. Mette Nørgaard Dissing-Spandet, director of Green Diplomacy and Climate at Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the potential for the private sector and for climate adaptation investments to create economic value and lasting benefits.

“Seeing how people from different sectors, professions and countries have related to one another and engaged with one another in this room is truly remarkable. I have now realised that we need to do this a lot more," said Mette Nørgaard Dissing-Spandet

Yvonne Muthoni Mathenge agreed,

” This experience has shown me that meaningful connections can open doors to fresh perspectives, shared learning and international networks.”

“The next step – and the challenge in front of all of us - is to make use of the knowledge, the  network and the partnership spirit beyond the rooms shared, and carry it into our everyday work for lasting impact on all sides”

Watch the recording of the meeting 22 September 2026 “Kenya-Denmark: Joining forces against the climate crisis” 

Read more about Danida Fellowship Centre's engagement with Flloca Investing in the future: Kenya’s locally led climate action