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Zimbabwe was a participant in Africa For Green AFRICA African City Leaders United In Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi were More than 250 African city leaders met last week for the Green & Resilient UrbanShift Africa Forum, aimed at boosting climate resilience and sustainable urban investment.
The UrbanShift Africa Forum, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and hosted by C40 Cities, brought together mayors, city officials, policymakers, investors, and business leaders from countries including Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Rwanda.
The forum unveiled a Roadmap on Sustainable Finance Action and Advocacy for Global South Cities, which provides steps for cities to access affordable climate finance for projects like clean energy and public transport.
Their roadmap, developed by C40 Cities, UrbanShift, and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), highlighted the need for financial independence for cities, national platforms to coordinate efforts, and grouping urban projects to attract larger investments.
Kenya’s Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson emphasized the economic benefits of investing in climate solutions, stating that every $1 invested in green infrastructure returns $4 whilst C40 Cities Executive Director Mark Watts called on governments and investors to step up, saying African mayors are leading on climate action but lack the financial power to match their ambition.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (Mayor of Freetown), Andy Deacon (GCoM), Mohamed Bakarr (GEF), and Prof. Kevin Chika Urama (AfDB), were amongst other speakers who stressed the need for financial reforms to support African cities in implementing bankable, climate-resilient projects.
UrbanShift Africa Forum continued through the week with discussions on urban planning, resilience, and green financing to shape the future of sustainable development.
Reforms on Climate Finance were on agenda during the forum’s opening ceremony at the UNEP headquarters, where city leaders issued an open letter urging national governments to prioritize investments in the green economy and create green jobs.
Municipal finance, as well as removing barriers to public-private partnerships for climate action was strengthened by others with a letter seeking to unlock financing for sustainable urban development, amid projections that African cities will drive the majority of global urban growth in the coming decades.
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