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Country/City
Kigali, Rwanda
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Published On
June 12, 2018
This document summarizes the content discussed during the Africa Regional Consultation Workshop on Sustainable Cities in Kigali, Rwanda. This peer exchange explored how various sustainability challenges are affecting African cities. Through expert presentations and dialogue, the peer exchange sought to equip local, regional and national decision makers with useful conceptual tools, as well as share experiences among cities and across countries. Delegates from Cote D’Ivoire, Benin, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Gabon, Nigeria and Rwanda were in attendance representing local, state and national governments. Experts from ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability, C40, WRI, the World Bank, and the private sector presented on the following themes related to sustainable urbanization in Africa Session 1: Inauguration and context setting. Chair: Innocent Kabenga, Global Green Growth Institute, Country Representative, Ethiopia.
Please click on the links to download presentations.
Session 1: Inauguration and context setting. Chair: Innocent Kabenga, Global Green Growth Institute, Country Representative, Ethiopia
Workshop objectives and Overview of Sustainable Cities Program – Mohamed Bakarr, GEF Secretariat
Opening Statement – Coletha Ruhamya, Director General, Rwanda Environmental Management Authority
Welcoming Remarks – Marie-Chantal Rwakazina, Mayor of City of Kigali.
Briefing on the Global Platform on Sustainable Cities (GPSC). Shagun Mehrotra, Senior Urban Specialist, The World Bank Group. Hastings Chikoko, Regional Director for Africa, C40 Cities. Tori Okner, Head of Strategy and Partnerships, ICLEI.
Session 2: Interactive Open Classroom. Facilitators: Tori Okner, Head of Strategy and Partnerships, ICLEI; Hastings Chikoko, Regional Director for Africa, C40 Cities.
Introductions and Interactive Exchange This session will gauge who’s who in the room and invite participants to shape the conversation in the following days.
Dialogue with City Leaders and Representatives of National Government The session will allow mayors and representatives of local and national government to voice the most pressing challenges they are facing with urban transformation. It will also provide them opportunity to share the policies, plans and programs they are putting into place that others could learn from. Speakers will include the following:
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Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone
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Raphael Edou, Municipal councilor, City of Cotonou, Benin
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Talla SYLLA, Mairie de Thiès, Senegal
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Dylan Weakley, Senior Specialist, City Transportation and Spatial Planning City of Johannesburg, South Africa
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Edward Kyazze, Division Manager in charge of Urbanization, Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), Rwanda
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Ange Simplice Boukinda, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Environment, Gabon
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Akinola Olakunle, Deputy Director, Urban and Regional Planning, Federal Ministry of Power,works and Housing, Nigeria
Session 3: Urbanization in Africa and need for Sustainable Cities. Facilitators: Tori Okner, Head of Strategy and Partnerships, ICLEI; Hastings Chikoko, Regional Director for Africa, C40 Cities
Theme 1: Urbanization trends in Africa and the need for Sustainability. Expert presentation - Gora Mboup, President & CEO, Global Observatory linking Research to Action (GORA). The expert will set the context of the session by providing a general overview of urbanization and Africa and its key challenges that cities and municipalities are facing. The expert will also highlight the environmental challenges and the importance of sustainable growth for African cities. The moderator will then raise key points and engage city representatives through an interactive session.
Theme 2: Importance of integrated urban planning. Expert presentation - Shagun Mehrotra, Senior Urban Specialist, The World Bank. The expert will set the context by outlining what an integrated approach means, why it is important and how it can be adopted. The technical presentation/brief will highlight areas such as integrated land use planning, urban infrastructure systems (Energy, water, transport), municipal governance and financing. The moderator will then raise key points and engage city representatives through an interactive session.
Theme 3: Multilevel governance: empowering local governments and role of an enabling national policy framework. Expert presentation - Tara Caetano, Senior Professional Officer, Climate Change Energy and Resilience - ICLEI Africa. Multilevel governance: local perspective on the need for urban plans.
Theme 4: Financing for sustainability. Expert presentation - Yondela Silimela, Morfosis Advisory and Investments. The expert will briefly outline urban financing in sustainability context. Among a number of aspects, the expert will focus on topics such as financing municipalities for green growth, national and city coordination for financing, role of climate/green finance and role of private sector.
Theme 5: Urban growth and environmental stewardship. Expert presentation - John-Rob Pool, Research Analyst, Natural Infrastructure Initiative, WRI and Paul Currie, Senior Professional Officer, Urban Systems, ICLEI Africa. The experts will highlight the various benefits and essential services cities draw from natural resources such as water purification, flood control, climate regulation, green space, biodiversity, food and clean air.
Cities, especially those that are developing fast and building infrastructure at staggering speed, are in a position to catalyze political, social, and economic support to integrate trees and forests into city development plans and are in a position to plan and build our cities with nature.
Session 4: Stakeholder Perspectives on urban sustainability. Moderator – Mohamed Imam Bakarr, GEF Secretariat Panel discussion. Donovan Storey, Deputy Director and Urban Lead - Green Cities, GGGI. Vincent Ndoungtio Kitio, UN-Habitat. Faris Khader, Regional Adviser, UNDP. Ayanleh Daher Aden, AfDB. Nomsa Zondi, DBSA.
Session 5: Group discussions and presentation on key thematic areas. Moderator: Paul Currie, Senior Professional Officer, Urban Systems, ICLEI Africa Secretariat Facilitated by: GEF, WB, C40, ICLEI, WRI.
The facilitators will organize participants into 4-5 groups on key thematic areas. These groups will brainstorm to identify challenges African cities are facing and potential way forward for them. Each group will then make presentation to the plenary.
Wrap-up and Workshop Closure. Coletha Ruhamya, DG, REMA. Mohamed Imam Bakarr, GEF Secretariat
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