Africa Manifesto for Sustainable Cities and the Built Environment

The Africa Regional Network of World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is proud to launch the Africa Manifesto for Sustainable Cities and the Built Environment, setting out actions needed from policymakers and businesses across the continent to deliver the Africa We Want.

These 15 African GBCs are responding to the climate, economic and social challenges faced on the African continent and the opportunities sustainable buildings and cities can create. The Manifesto articulates policies related to energy, water, materials, finance and infrastructure that African business leaders, city and government officials must support to deliver the ‘Africa We Want’: a net zero carbon, healthy, resilient, equitable, socially- and economically-inclusive built environment for everyone, everywhere.

By 2050, Africa will be home to 1.1 billion more people than it is today. That’s nearly 75% of the world’s projected population growth of 1.5 billion more people.

This means a huge demand for buildings, with 80 percent of those that will exist in 2050 yet to be built. The time to act is now. 

Achieving these goals requires policymakers and business leaders across the continent to recognise the untapped potential of the built environment. But this can only be realised with the implementation of policies that support transformative action, through deep collaboration between governments and the cities, regions, businesses and investors. 

The manifesto sets out specific and immediately actionable policy asks, including the following examples: 

• Implementing and enforcing green building codes to improve energy efficiency standards, and increasing access to clean and distributed renewable energy systems
• Mandating water efficiency measures and supporting access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water
• Mandating lifecycle assessments in national building codes to support the use of low-cost, low-carbon, ethically-sourced and locally-sourced, resilient building materials, and establishing a Circular Economy Roadmap for Buildings 
• Developing a common international taxonomy for sustainable finance, recognising green building certification schemes to support deployment of solutions, and ensuring every African can afford a green home
• Supporting an integrated approach to buildings and infrastructure, that optimises nature-based solutions, low carbon transport, and upgrading of existing systems.