Nairobi has been selected to benefit from the Green-Gray infrastructure project spearheaded by the World Resources Institute.
The project aims to leverage “green” infrastructure like street trees and mangroves with “gray” infrastructure like dams and seawalls across 11 African cities.
Through this approach, cities can strengthen existing infrastructure systems and enhance natural ecosystems, which will help build climate resilience.
About the Green-Gray Infrastructure Project
The Green-Gray Infrastructure (GGI) Accelerator works with cities in sub-Saharan Africa to address climate resilience challenges by delivering effective, context-tailored climate and infrastructure solutions.
The initiative leverages the benefits of natural “green” infrastructure like forests and mangroves with traditional “gray” infrastructure like seawalls and water treatment plants.
Through this approach, cities can strengthen their existing infrastructure systems while building their climate resilience, protecting biodiversity and enhancing natural ecosystems.
Cities receive technical assistance across the arc of project development — from feasibility to financing, and from pilot implementation to scale and replication.
Through the effective scaling of nature-based solutions (NBS) and GGI, these cities will become more livable, equitable, inclusive, resilient, and vibrant.
The project helps to mitigate the threat posed in livelihoods in urban areas, especially informal settlements in sub-Saharan Africa because of gaps in infrastructure.
Experts project urban population in sub-Saharan Africa to double by 2050, with 60% of them living in informal settlements, according to UN-Habitat.
Building a sustainable city
Apart from offering policy guidance and capacity building, Nairobi will receive funding to develop its projects.
The Green-Gray Infrastructure Project connects cities with funders and investors, develop business cases, and support financial structures to facilitate transactions, improve project bankability, and unlock sustainable funding.
It also organizes roundtables to develop innovative financial approaches and accelerate investment.
The other cities to benefit from this climate adaptation initiative are Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, Ethiopia; Kigali and Musanze, Rwanda; Johannesburg and Gqeberha, South Africa; Bukavu and Uvira, the Democratic Republic of Congo; Nairobi, Kenya; Kumasi, Ghana; and Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo.
