About $ 280 billion is needed to prepare African cities for climate change and turn them into urban centers that will drive green growth, according to a new report by the Coalition for Urban Transitions and FSD Africa. The report is based on an analysis of cities in Ethiopia, South Africa and Kenya. Which together represent 18% of the urban population in Africa.
As mentioned, Africa is likely to be hit the hardest by global warming, with some of the damage already being seen like huge floods and cyclones that have hit the continent in recent years.
"Africa's urban development is likely to face unprecedented biophysical risks," the report said.
Flooding in the city of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Photo: AFP
Alongside the huge investment, the report notes that it will have huge economic gains. “Africa’s fate will be determined according to the development of its cities.
We believe that with a built-in green investment, both environmental benefits and strong economic growth can be achieved, "said Mark Napier, CEO of FSD Africa.
According to the report, the investment in 35 cities in Ethiopia, South Africa and Kenya, each with more than 250,000 inhabitants, will yield benefits of $ 1.1 trillion. The investment will also create hundreds of thousands of jobs, improve health systems, reduce pollution and increase pollution. Productivity across the continent, while reducing carbon emissions and making cities more resilient to the effects of the climate crisis.
Evicted from their homes due to floods in Mozambique,
Also, the rapid population growth on the continent cannot be ignored.
As of 2018, more than 1.2 billion people live in Africa.
An additional 950 million are expected to live in African cities by 2050. The report notes that rapid population growth underscores the importance of urban development and how difficult urban planning is effectively, but the benefit will be great and therefore organizations intend to act to raise funds for investment.
