Climate Finance & Innovation Ecosystem : Key Informant Survey

Climate Finance & Innovation Ecosystem – Kenya & Zambia: Key Informant Interview

Thank you for taking the time to take part of this survey. Please provide your insights on how climate finance mechanisms support SMEs in developing and scaling sustainable innovations. Your responses will help clarify sector trends, policy enablers, institutional gaps, and effectiveness of current financing structures.
Ethical and Consent Statement

Your participation in this interview is voluntary. All information shared will be treated as confidential and used strictly for research purposes. No personally identifiable information or organizational attribution will appear in any reports or presentations.
Do you consent to participate in this interview and for your responses to be used for research purposes as described above?
SECTION A: Respondent Profile

Please provide your professional background.
Institution name
Respondent role/title
Department/unit
Years of experience in climate finance / innovation ecosystem
Direct involvement in (select all that apply)
SECTION B: Mechanisms – Policy, Regulation & System Functioning (Objective 1)

Insights on policy tools and market mechanisms.
How have the Green Taxonomy (Kenya) or Green Loan Guidelines (Zambia) influenced actual investment decisions by banks or investors?
From your experience, which aspects of these policies are most used in practice? Which remain largely theoretical?
Which funding instruments are being used most commonly (e.g., blended finance, guarantees, concessional loans, grants, carbon finance)? Why?
How effective are these instruments in shifting private sector capital into green innovation?
How well do regulators, ministries, donors, and financial institutions coordinate climate finance actions?
Where do you see fragmentation, duplication, or conflicting priorities?
SECTION D: Support for Innovation & Pipeline Development (Objective 2)

Barriers and opportunities for SME innovation and access to climate funds.
What are the biggest challenges SMEs face in developing “bankable” green projects?
What differentiates SMEs that successfully secure climate finance from those that do not?
How capable are national institutions and local intermediaries in accessing large climate funds (e.g., GCF, CIF)?
How effective are innovation hubs, accelerators, and TA providers in building green innovation capacity?
Where do you see gaps in the support ecosystem?
SECTION F: Integration with SME Survey

Connecting key informant insights with survey findings.
SME surveys often show high interest in green finance but low actual uptake. In your view, what explains this gap?
Which SME constraints do financial institutions believe are most significant (e.g., documentation, weak business models, lack of ESG metrics)?
SECTION G: Solutions & Future Outlook

Forward-looking recommendations and insights.
What reforms or support mechanisms would most effectively unlock climate finance for SMEs?
Which promising innovations or financing models do you expect to grow in the next 3–5 years?
Is there anything else you want to add that we haven’t covered?
Should be Empty:

Climate Finance & Innovation Ecosystem – Kenya & Zambia: Key Informant Interview

SECTION A: Respondent Profile

SECTION B: Mechanisms – Policy, Regulation & System Functioning (Objective 1)

SECTION D: Support for Innovation & Pipeline Development (Objective 2)

SECTION F: Integration with SME Survey

SECTION G: Solutions & Future Outlook