ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, or ICLEI for short, is the leading global network of over 1,500 cities, towns and regions committed to building a sustainable urban future. One of this global network’s nine regional secretariats is ICLEI-Africa that exercises its responsibility for managing ICLEI’s presence in sub-Saharan Africa from its Cape Town-based offices.
ICLEI Africa is governed by a regional executive committee consisting of five mayors of member cities – currently Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), Bafut (Cameroon), Vacoas-Phoenix (Mauritius) and Monrovia (Liberia) – one of whom is selected to also represent Africa on the ICLEI council. The Africa Secretariat lays emphasis on a few key work streams that have particular relevance to Africa and that resonate with the continent’s needs of promoting job creation and empowering women within a pro-poor socio-economic framework. These work streams are energy, climate change and resilience; water and sanitation; nature-based solutions and food security; sustainable infrastructure and integrated urban planning.
ICLEI Africa is now active in projects in 126 cities and has a growing membership base of more than 100 cities from 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The projects ICLEI designs and implements are either developed locally with cities or form part of wider, trans-regional or global ICLEI initiatives.
