Building urban resilience in Africa

From flooding and heatwaves to drought, coastal erosion and growing pressure on urban infrastructure, African cities are already experiencing the impacts of a changing climate. Building resilience cannot be about reacting to disasters after they happen. It means anticipating risk, investing for the future and supporting solutions that are rooted in the realities of African cities and communities.

Across the continent, cities and communities are already developing innovative responses, often while navigating rapid urbanisation, infrastructure and service gaps, and limited access to finance. The challenge now is to build on what is working, strengthen connections and create the conditions for these solutions to grow.

ICLEI Africa, in partnership with the African Union Commission and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), launched an new action document setting out a shared agenda for accelerating urban resilience across Africa.

Developed through the African Continental Dialogue Symposium held in Cape Town earlier this year, the document brings together priorities and commitments from African city leaders and urban practitioners. This infographic offers a snapshot of the action document.