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“I grew up in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, where I saw firsthand how a damaged wetland or a severe flood can strain a community, rippling through schools and churches,” says Tariye Gbadegesin. 

The lessons of her youth have never left her. 

Today, Gbadegesin is the CEO of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), a USD 13 billion climate fund investing in nature-based solutions, resilience, land restoration initiatives, clean technologies and just energy transitions. 

“The data is now unequivocal: resilience pays,” said Gbadegesin in a CIF press release.

“Resilient supply chains, roads, power systems and livelihoods can transform not just communities but whole economies. It’s an opportunity too large to ignore, and it demands a new kind of response.”

At CIF, Gbadegesin oversaw the launch of the first-of-its-kind CIF Capital Markets Mechanism to better support low and middle-income countries in their transition to a low-carbon, climate-smart future. 

“I believe in livelihoods rooted in dignity – low‑carbon, resilient and fair. We have the tools to get there: smarter farming, restored ecosystems, clean energy and resilient infrastructure.” 

“The challenge now is to act boldly and scale what works.”

CIF is also investing USD 110 million in Indigenous and community-led solutions across its programs. 

“We put resources in the hands of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, trusting them to choose the best adaptation paths.”

Of the many investment plans funded by CIF, one newer investment aims to restore 1.7 million hectares of forest in the Zambezi basin in south-central Africa.

Its goal is to make farming more resilient, bring job benefits to over 2 million people and support communities.

Gbadegesin has served in a range of climate and economic development organizations. She is currently a member of the leadership councils for the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and the Industrial Transition Accelerator’s Mission Possible Partnership.

In 2024, she won the African Private Capital Association (ACVA)’s Climate Leader Award.