African local governments step up to Earth Hour City Challenge

A total of ten entities from South Africa, Tanzania and Rwanda take part in this year’s Earth Hour City Challenge 2015-2016.

Comprising of cities, secondary cities, municipalities and districts, participants from the region stand to represent the diverse context which nonetheless drive a common vision towards sustainable development. In respect to this, pilot editions of Earth Hour City Challenge 2015-2016 have been developed in Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Africa, which include technical assistance and capacity building components.

Follow-up workshops in Tanzania and Rwanda were held, which included a feedback session on their participation. These also provided an opportunity for participants to engage with partners from their respective local government associations, as well as national representatives at the UNFCCC processes. Rwandan Districts also benefitted from sessions on tools, approaches, and resource mapping for climate planning. Tanzanian cities on the other hand took part in an integrated planning exercise catered to their demonstration projects, which include a retrofit of local schools and dispensaries.

Participating secondary municipalities in South Africa avail of a workshop on tools for mainstreaming renewable energy. These workshops are also extended to partners in the local sector as well as neighbouring municipalities. Additionally, both KwaDukuza and George municipalities will receive further technical assistance of their choice, in the form of either: retrofit pre-feasibility study, solar resource maximization tool training, or a financial assessment on revenue impact.

On the global competition front, a video celebrating the City of Cape Town and City of Tshwane’s journey as returning EHCC South African finalists was released in time for Earth Hour. It features selected flagship projects, with the view of inspiring climate initiatives that are grounded in local development.

These activities will be captured in a special upcoming newsletter. In the meantime click on the links below to learn about each local government’s climate actions:

23 March 2016

African local governments step up to Earth Hour City Challenge