African cities to benefit from green action plans

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a project to help address the challenges of urbanization in five countries across Africa.

Funded by Italy, the USD 3 million Green Cities Initiative in Action for Africa project will work with 10 cities across Algeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda to identify and develop investment strategies to promote sustainable urban development, minimize city carbon footprints and adapt to climate shocks.

Action for Africa is part of the FAO Green Cities Initiative, which aims to work with cities to address their urbanization challenges by integrating urban and peri-urban forestry, agriculture and circular bioeconomy into the fabric of urban life.

“This project is an important contribution to achieving sustainable goals in Africa and underscores FAO’s commitment to fostering a global movement dedicated to building green infrastructure, improving food security, boosting local economies, and enhancing the quality of life for urban residents,” said Zhimin Wu, Director of FAO’s Forestry Division.

Green Cities Action Plans

While cities occupy only 2-3 percent of the Earth’s surface, over two thirds of the world’s population are expected to live in urban areas by 2050, posing major challenges. Urban development often results in the degradation of natural ecosystems in and around cities, and the drastic loss of services they provide, such as air and water quality, climate regulation, biodiversity conservation and enhanced wellbeing for urban residents.

In Africa, the urban population is expected to grow faster than any other continent, while its cities are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events.

FAO’s year-long initiative will help increase city-level access to international climate finance to address such challenges in the 10 cities.

Each city will develop and implement a Green Cities Action Plan to define priority action areas that boost their resilience to climate change and that are also attractive to investors. 

Possible initiatives proposed might include actions to mitigate health risks associated with climate change or safer environments which reduce economic and social costs associated with natural disasters. Priority will be given to vulnerable and marginalized communities to improve the quality of life for all urban residents.

FAO’s Green Cities Initiative

FAO’s flagship Green Cities Initiative (GCI) was launched globally in 2020 and aims to have 1000 cities join by 2030. It envisions vibrant and inclusive cities where urban green and productive spaces catalyze climate resilience, social cohesion and economic prosperity.

The GCI aims to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas and between citizens and nature, while supporting cities to develop through the availability and access to goods and services provided by urban and peri-urban forestry, agriculture and the circular bioeconomy.

Its Action for Africa project comes ahead of the 2nd African Forum on Urban Forests which will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, 18-21 March 2025, organized by FAO, the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, and the Centre on African Public Spaces. The forum has the theme Green horizons: shaping the future resilience of African cities through urban forests.