This Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP) report details the achievements and lessons learned, as told by those who implemented it. It features interviews with representatives from almost every AAP country and seeks to chronicle the successes of the Programme by giving a voice to the people on the ground who made it happen. The AAP was launched by UNDP in 2008 as a four-year programme with US$ 92.1 million from the Government of Japan. In 2011, Japan approved a one-year extension of the programme until early 2013. Its aim was to help the governments of 20 African nations to further develop their capabilities to more effectively identify, design and implement holistic climate change adaptation initiatives that are aligned with national development planning and priorities. AAP worked through its Inter-Regional Technical Support Component (IRTSC), based in Dakar, Senegal, to build African capacities to adapt to climate change in five essential areas: Outcome 1: Countries have introduced dynamic, long-term planning mechanisms to manage the inherent uncertainties of climate change. Outcome 2: Countries have built leadership capacities and developed institutional frameworks to manage climate change risks and opportunities in an integrated manner at the local and national levels. Outcome 3: Countries are implementing climate-resilient policies and measures in priority sectors. Outcome 4: Financing options to meet national adaptation costs have been expanded at the local, national, sub-regional and regional levels. Outcome 5: Knowledge on adjusting national development processes to fully incorporate climate change risks and opportunities is being generated and shared across all levels.