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Why work on energy and climate change with cities on
the African continent?

By 2050 Africa’s urban population will triple, and will be the second largest urban population in the world.

Despite being the continent most affected by the impacts of climate change and contributing 4% to global greenhouse gas emissions, only 3% of total climate finance flows to Africa.

Currently 548 million people lack access to electricity in Africa.

What is CoM SSA?

Since its launch in 2015, the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) has mobilised political commitment for climate action from over 400 signatory local governments in 41 countries, representing more than 166 million citizens. By working with local governments to develop robust climate and energy plans, as well as scaling impactful, finance-ready climate and urban solutions, CoM SSA supports an African urban transformation steered by subnational actors.

Through the sustained support of the European Union and European co-funders and implementers, CoM SSA advances investment readiness by bringing early financial diagnostics, upstream engagement with finance actors, and participatory and gender-responsive approaches into the implementation process.

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Learn about climate finance

The CoM SSA finance course is a self-learning online course that will teach government officials in signatory cities about unlocking finance for climate action. The training will prepare participants to successfully deliver on their mandates to secure investments in climate change mitigation and adaptation projects on behalf of their regions. The course consists of six modules that take 1-2 hours each and participants’ new knowledge and skill sets will be well-rounded and context-relevant.

Start climate finance course

Learn about climate action planning

The CoM SSA Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP) course is a self-learning course designed to support local governments in developing a robust SEACAP from start to finish. The course consists of 8 modules that take 1-2 hours each and participants’ new knowledge and skill sets will be well-rounded and context relevant. The SEACAP is a key document that sets the strategies, plans and actions for a sustainable and low emission development pathway, while including adaptation actions and ensuring access to secure, affordable and sustainable energy, in response to the current and future impacts of climate change in the region.

Start the SEACAP course