Driving change: CoM SSA as a major catalyst for local climate action in sub-Saharan Africa

Driving advocacy:

CoM SSA Mayors lead vital advocacy that ensures that local governments—as frontline climate responders—are heard and prioritised in tackling the climate crisis.

At COP29, these Mayors delivered impactful statements at the Third Annual Ministerial Meetings on Urbanisation and Climate Change. At the inaugural Africa Urban Forum (AUF), their input shaped a more inclusive, action-driven Declaration.

CoM SSA Mayors actively participated in the following highlighted events:

2022: COP27, Climate Chance, AfriCities, Africa Climate Week.

2023: COP28 and the Local Climate Action Summit, Africa Climate Week and the Africa Climate Summit, EU Ghana Climate Week, Climate Chance Conference Africa, Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, U20.

2024: COP29, Africa Urban Forum, World Urban Forum 12, U20, Forum Économique des Îles de l'Océan Indien/Indian Ocean Islands Economic Forum, European Sustainable Energy Week.

Finance for change:

CoM SSA has supported signatory cities in developing 69 climate action projects, including 30 pilot projects with a combined potential investment of over EUR 629.5 million. These initiatives are expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 18 million tonnes. 13 of these projects, with a financial value of EUR 468 227 000, have been taken up by financiers.

Over 300 climate change leaders have completed CoM SSA's climate finance online course, greatly enhancing their understanding of project design, financing mechanisms, and the expectations of funders, as indicated by 90% of course participants.

Fostering collaboration through city-to-city exchanges:

Over the past five years, CoM SSA has hosted over 25 city-to-city exchanges, connecting subnational governments across sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge and innovation sharing is critical for capacity building and for African-led solutions to be scaled for maximum benefit to local communities.

At the inaugural Africa Urban Forum, leading CoM SSA signatories formalised their partnerships by signing Memorandums of Understanding to establish sister-city relations.

The Mayor of Dire Dawa further exemplified this spirit of collaboration by inviting the CoM SSA Regional Mayors Forum Mayors for exchanges and site visits in Dire Dawa, ahead of the Africa Urban Forum.

Greening cities and feeding communities:

Transformative urban agriculture projects implemented with support from CoM SSA include:

The "Feeding and Greening Nouakchott" project is transforming the desert outskirts of Nouakchott (Mauritania) into lush urban farms, which cover 10 hectares and use solar irrigation, boosting food security and local employment. Today, the city’s food market is supplied with competitively priced, locally grown produce, benefiting the community directly. Just five years ago, growing vegetables in Nouakchott seemed impossible—now, it’s a flourishing reality.

Advancing smart energy solutions:

CoM SSA's Urban Smart Energy (USE) initiative is driving sustainable energy transformation in public buildings, such as schools, hospitals, and markets, by supporting decentralised energy systems and energy efficiency measures. As part of USE, CoM SSA is conducting feasibility analyses of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that will ultimately attract private sector investment. In Phase III, USE has been rolled out in eight cities with the assessment of over 80 city-owned sites.

Cities include: Douala and Garoua (Cameroon), Mombasa, Nakuru County, and Kisumu (Kenya), Abuja Municipal Area Council and Abuja Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Sekondi-Takoradi and Accra (Ghana).

Turning waste into opportunity:

CoM SSA is driving impactful circularity initiatives:

In Dakar (Senegal) an urban waste project is converting municipal waste, like old streetlights and discarded tyres, into valuable infrastructure for public spaces, including playgrounds.This innovative approach is not only reducing waste but also enhancing community spaces and promoting sustainable reuse practices.

In Kisumu County (Kenya), a biogas unit showcases how biodigesters provide clean energy, high-quality fertilizer, and sustainable waste management. The success of this pilot project will enable the county to replicate this solution and access additional funding for a possible scale-up.

Tailormade strategies:

CoM SSA's diverse strategies for advancing Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans are essential due to the varied contexts that exist across sub-Saharan Africa. Some of our trailblazing approaches are:

1. Train the trainer programmes: Building in-country capacity to conduct regular trainings and build long-term capabilities. CoM SSA takes the approach of radical collaboration, working hand-in-hand with a multitude of local partners and organisations.

2. Personal storytelling: Making climate change more tangible by encouraging participants to share personal experiences of its impacts, as well as locally led solutions.

3. Multilevel governance: Ensuring full alignment of Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans within nationally led processes, such as the development of Nationally Determined Contributions.

4. Learning labs: Creating spaces for engagement between local governments, national agencies, and the private sector to address challenges with collaborative solutions while fostering innovation, knowledge exchange, and the co-design of scalable, practical strategies. These labs prioritise listening to and including local and Indigenous knowledge, ensuring that solutions are culturally relevant, context-specific, and driven by the communities most affected.

Brighter streets, safer cities:

CoM SSA is driving impactful public lighting initiatives to enhance safety and energy efficiency:

In Garoua (Cameroon) 1,000 energy-efficient lights brighten schools, hospitals, markets, and gathering areas, complemented by solar kiosks to create safer, more vibrant spaces.

In Nouakchott (Mauritania) 500+ solar streetlights illuminate 17 kilometres of major roads, providing a pilot case that can be built on and expanded.

In Douala (Cameroon) a smart lighting system powered by LED and solar technology will boost safety and energy efficiency.

Advancing equality:

CoM SSA prioritises gender equality in the climate and energy action driven by the initiative. Equipping local governments with practical tools to do this ensures that they have the mechanisms to implement inclusive processes that drive equitable outcomes and reduce gender inequalities. Several practical tools have been developed:

Gender-sensitive CoM SSA climate finance course

Gender-sensitive SEACAP toolbox

Glossary of Key Terms for Gender Mainstreaming
Guide on Gender Inclusive Participatory Approaches
Guide on Gender Analysis for Project Development

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) protocol for SEACAP development

GESI protocol for CoM SSA implementing partners

Uniting leadership:

The CoM SSA Regional Mayors Forum (RMF) unites leaders transparently elected from across the four subregions of sub-Saharan Africa to coordinate and amplify the African city voice on regional and global platforms, and enable peer-to-peer and African-led learning and exchange. Since 2022, CoM SSA’s RMF has influenced critical agendas at 18+ global and regional events. The RMF Chairperson serves on the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy Board, tabling African priorities within Board processes.

Amplifying impact:

CoM SSA is an inclusive initiative and, as such, ensures that content and materials are available in multiple languages. See the INSIGHTS FOR CHANGE series, Abuja Urban Lab video series and website articles for examples, and follow CoM SSA posts on social media channels such as X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Over the past five years, CoM SSA has reached over one million users on social media and accumulated over 120,000 website views, engaging diverse target audiences across sub-Saharan Africa and the world.

Tackling emissions:

30 CoM SSA signatories received GreenHouse Gas Emission Inventory badges between 2019 and 2023. Undertaking a GHG inventory is crucial for identifying emission sources—like transport—and prioritising effective actions. Accurate data enables cities to set realistic, ambitious emission reduction targets that contribute to national and international climate commitments like Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Paris Agreement.

Advancing access:

Between 2019 and 2023, 19 CoM SSA signatories received Energy Access Assessment badges. These assessments identify communities lacking access to clean energy or relying on unsafe sources like kerosene or charcoal. By prioritising these areas, local governments can align their climate actions with the principles of a just transition, ensuring no one is left behind.

Turning the tide on transport

CoM SSA is enabling transformative mobility initiatives:

In Lagos (Nigeria) the CoM SSA initiated and backed €409 million "Omi Eko" project is transforming public transport with electric-powered ferries and climate-smart terminals. By replacing diesel-powered buses with ferries powered by renewable energy, the project will cut CO2 emissions by 54,000 tonnes annually.

In Douala (Cameroon) feasibility studies are laying the groundwork for ecological river transport on the Wouri River, alleviating congestion and boosting ecotourism.

Greening cities:

Transformative nature-based solution projects implemented with support from CoM SSA include:

CoM SSA supported a feasibility study on the commercial exploitation of an invasive plant in the Grand Niaye Natural Reserve in Pikine (Senegal) which will improve the functioning of a key wetland that provides multiple ecosystem services to local communities.

Supported by CoM SSA, the Municipality of Maputo (Mozambique), plans to regenerate 102 hectares of mangrove forest with plants that will be produced in the municipal nursery. This project is critical to the preservation of Maputo's coastal zone, which plays a pivotal role in protecting the municipality and its communities from coastal storms, sea level rise and cyclones.

In Kasese (Uganda) a CoM SSA-backed EUR 46 500 project included the mapping of land usage, the development of an Urban Forest Action Plan, and the planting of over 11,000 tree seedlings.

Strengthening resilience:

44 CoM SSA signatory cities earned Risk and Vulnerability Assessment badges between 2019 and 2023. These assessments uncover local climate risks—like flooding, heatwaves, and/ or droughts—and aid cities in prioritising actions within resource-constrained environments. RVAs allow cities to shift from reactive to proactive action, by planning for near, medium and long-term climate impacts within their contexts.

Empowering local governments for change:

CoM SSA has supported over 135 signatories in developing and implementing their Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans. From initial conceptualisation to execution, this assistance is helping cities tackle climate challenges, drive sustainable energy transitions, and strengthen resilience. Through tailored guidance and resources, CoM SSA ensures that local governments are equipped to create impactful, actionable plans that lead to long-term and positive change. Critical to the impactfulness of this support is that it is demand-led. Signatory cities are met where they are, and the support is tailored to their needs to serve locally-led and context-relevant action best.

Collaborative approaches towards robust climate action:

CoM SSA fosters collaboration to assist signatory cities in overcoming resource constraints, via:

Joint Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans: Where appropriate and requested, CoM SSA facilitates inter-municipal and regional cooperation, such as the development of a joint Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans for neighboring municipalities. For example, this was done for the Maputo Metropolitan Area, uniting Maputo, Matola, and Boane municipalities. This is a critical approach when one considers the influences neighbouring municipalities have on each other.

Involving critical climate finance roleplayers: Engaging national governments, Development Finance Institutions, Project Preparation Facilities, and financiers at key stages ensures local plans align with financial roleplayers’ mandates, resource availability and opportunities.

Working with Local Government Associations: Local Government Associations are mandated to support subnational governments in their countries, in the long term. CoM SSA collaborates and builds the capacity of these Local Government Associations, as requested, to ensure that the climate change and sustainable energy interventions espoused by CoM SSA are supported in the long term. For example, the Association of Local Authorities Namibia will take forward a finance training delivered by CoM SSA.

Grouped workshops: Gathering multiple signatories together for a workshop allows for peer-to-peer learning and optimum use of resources. In 2022, CoM SSA brought 80 Togolese municipalities (representing 70% of the country’s municipalities) for demand-led trainings.

The ever-evolving strategies listed above depict CoM SSA's commitment to enabling robust, collaborative, and resource-aligned climate action across the region.

Building healthier cities:

Transformative air quality projects implemented with support from CoM SSA include:

Mozambique's pioneering Air Quality Network: 11 air measurement stations have been installed in the Maputo Metropolitan Area, and based on proven benefits, the network is being expanded to the provinces of Sofala, Tete, and Nampula, with a total of 50 more stations. This expansion will significantly boost the volume of critical data for climate research, environmental monitoring, and public health decision-making.

Empowering action:

CoM SSA has developed 45+ tools and resources to guide signatories on climate action and sustainable energy. Explore a few below:

SEACAP Toolbox course

Gender guides: Gender Inclusive Participatory Approach for Project Development and Gender Analysis for Project Development

Finance Roadmaps for Climate Projects

Series of evidence-based reports: (1) Data Talks | What data do local governments really need to plan effectively for climate change? (2) Accelerating climate change action planning for smart implementation | Examples from African municipalities (3) The need for and potential benefits of transformative adaptation in African municipalities

Climate hazards explainer video

An introductory course to climate finance for African cities

Transformative solar energy projects:

CoM SSA is supporting impactful solar energy initiatives:

As part of CoM SSA's Urban Smart Energy (USE), Nakuru and Mombasa counties in Kenya are adopting decentralised solar systems for 18 county-owned facilities, with a total system size of 2.42 MWp. These solar systems will attract US$ 2.5 million investment, and once implemented, will lead to annual savings of US$ 175,000 for these counties.

In Tchaoudjo (Togo), solar panels worth EUR 45,000 have been installed on several municipal buildings to reduce emissions and energy utility bills.