Migratory birds travel thousands of kilometres each year between breeding and feeding grounds. Along these routes, they depend on a network of wetlands, forests and coastal habitats that function as ecological corridors, allowing species to move safely across landscapes and between regions. In African cities and their surrounding peri-urban areas, protecting and restoring these ecological corridors is key to maintaining functional migratory pathways. When these links are broken, entire flyways can be disrupted.
As Ingrid Coetzee, Director of Biodiversity, Nature & Health at ICLEI Africa highlights, these species “connect continents, ecosystems and communities”, reminding us that protecting biodiversity requires collaboration that goes beyond administrative boundaries and across all levels of government.
Because when migratory life is protected, we also protect the ecosystems and connections that sustain us all. 🌍
The future of African cities isn’t just about buildings and infrastructure — it’s also about biodiversity and the connected habitats that host migrating species🦅🏙️🌍
In light of #WorldMigratoryBirdDay (9 May), we highlight how resilient, nature-positive cities are vital stopovers for millions of birds travelling across the continent and beyond.
Journeys for Life is a global initiative that celebrates and showcases the vital role of cities and regions located along migratory routes, flyways, and marine corridors. It highlights how local action contributes to ecological connectivity and the protection of flight paths that sustain our ecosystems.
Let’s transform species migration into a shared urban story and build safe, sustainable pathways for the future.
🔗Learn more at: /iclei/initiative/journeys-for-life/
CITY FEATURE | Kigali, Rwanda 🇷🇼
Kigali is emerging as a leading example of how African cities can grow in harmony with nature. Home to more than 1.7 million people, the city has evolved into a modern metropolis guided by a long-term vision: to become a city in a forest.
In recent years, Kigali has launched an ambitious greening and restoration agenda—reviving wetlands, creating eco-parks, and transforming former flood zones into thriving natural sanctuaries. These are not cosmetic interventions, but long-term investments in environmental protection, flood control, biodiversity recovery, and sustainable urban living.
At the heart of this transformation is Nyandungu Eco-Park, a once-degraded wetland now restored into a 160-hectare urban sanctuary. Today, it supports over 200 bird species, alongside other wildlife that has returned as ecosystems recover. The wetland now functions as a natural flood management system, a carbon sink, and a space for recreation, education, and wellbeing.
As the city continues to grow, it offers a compelling example of how African cities can expand while still prioritising ecological integrity, liveability, and long-term resilience.
📖 Source: https://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/about/overview, Discover Rwanda: Kigali's Urban Eco Park (YouTube video).
🏙️ Resilience is rising across Africa’s cities. Local solutions, strong communities, and sustainable planning are turning challenges into opportunities for a brighter urban future. 🌿
🌍 African cities are shaping smarter, stronger futures. Through projects like AI and data co‑production for risk reduction, cities such as Cape Town and Cape Coast are using local knowledge and AI tools to better plan for extreme heat and floods. Resilience is about planning forward and protecting communities. 💪🏿📊🤝 #ResilientAfrica
Learn more by copying this link into your browser: /project/ai-and-data-co-production-for-risk-reduction/
Meet our April urban champions, Tawanda Mushawedu and Chiedza Mushawedu, the Co-Founders, CEO, and COO of @ZimbosAbantu #Healthcare on Wheels. 🚐💚
"My mission is to ensure these innovations meet the needs of present and future generations while fostering economic and social equity. As the Co-Founder and CEO of @ZimbosAbantu Healthcare on Wheels, I lead efforts to deliver inclusive and affordable primary healthcare through solar-powered mobile clinics that integrate telemedicine and renewable energy technologies. This role aligns with my passion for addressing healthcare disparities in underserved communities across Zimbabwe." – Tawanda Mushawedu
From bringing essential health services to remote neighborhoods to empowering communities with sustainable solutions, Tawanda and Chiedza are redefining what accessible healthcare in urban and rural Zimbabwe can look like. Their innovative approach ensures that no one is left behind, even in areas where infrastructure is limited. 🌍✨
Today we celebrate #EarthDay Our Power, Our Planet (@earthdaynetwork ), with the spotlight on #cleancooking💚
In most African households, cooking uses more energy than anything else in the home. Yet for millions of households in cities, that energy still comes from traditional biomass fuels.
In Uganda, ICLEI Africa is tackling this head-on. The ENACT programme is partnering with @ukinuganda Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Kampala Capital City Authority, and other urban authorities across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
By strengthening the commercial readiness of SMEs and supporting local governments in creating a more enabling business environment that addresses barriers to scale, ENACT has enabled more than 60,000 people to access clean, modern cooking, with a growing share using #eCooking for the first time.
Learn more here: africa.iclei.org/project/enact/
A reflection on World Heritage Day (18 April)! 🌍 Protecting the past, preparing for the future.
Our African heritage tells the story of who we are, yet conflicts and disasters continue to threaten it. This year, we spotlight the theme 'Emergency Response for Living Heritage in Contexts of Conflicts and Disasters', emphasising the need to build resilience and protect both our cultural treasures and the communities that sustain them.🏛️💛
Through the Race to Resilience Culture (RTRC) project, led by ICLEI and ICLEI Africa, cities have been testing what it means to place culture at the heart of urban climate responses. The programme connects heritage practitioners, artists, planners, and climate experts to co-design solutions that are technically sound but also socially grounded. In practice, this has meant integrating traditional and Indigenous knowledge into planning, strengthening community engagement through storytelling and creative practice, linking nature-based solutions to cultural landscapes, and addressing wellbeing and social cohesion as core elements of climate resilience.
From strengthening disaster risk management to empowering local communities, this work is about acting before, during, and after crises, ensuring our living heritage endures for generations to come.
#WorldHeritageDay
Insights from the Local and Regional Governments Forum (LRGF) at Africa Urban Forum 2 (#AUF2) 🌍
In this video, Paul Currie, Urban Systems Director at ICLEI Africa, reflects on why empowering local and regional governments is essential to shaping Africa’s urban future.
Co-convened by ICLEI Africa, UN-Habitat (unhabitat), UCLG Africa (@uclgafrica ) and C40 Cities (@c40cities ), the Forum created space for 40 Mayors and Governors to speak directly to the challenges and opportunities of rapid urbanisation.
✨ Key takeaways:
🏘️We need to view housing as an enabler of many more urban systems
🏙️ If empowered and engaged as core partners, local governments act as systems leaders who bring together a whole set of urban actors to deliver housing at scale.
💬We need to fundamentally reframe our relationship with informality.
📈We need to ensure that the resources needed to transform our cities arrive at the local level, where they will be put to most effective use.
Africa’s urban transition is happening now. The question is whether we equip our cities with the authority, partnerships and resources they need to lead.
🔗Learn more by copying this link to your browser: /local-and-regional-governments-forum-at-the-africa-urban-forum-2-auf2/
🏙️Rethinking Urban Life
What does a healthy city look like?
Clean water, safe food, breathable air, green public spaces, and effective waste management are foundational to healthy urban life. But urban health isn’t just about service delivery—it’s also about resilience to climate shocks, sustainable planning, and inclusive governance. 💧🌿💚
Local governments can strengthen urban health by building climate‑resilient infrastructure (like water systems and low‑emission facilities), integrating nature‑based solutions into planning, and supporting sustainable energy and waste strategies that reduce pollution and protect vulnerable groups.
Resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban planning isn’t optional—it’s essential. When cities centre health, climate resilience, and equity, everyone benefits, especially women, girls, and vulnerable communities. 🌍✨
📸: John Gichomo | @nairobilens
#HealthyAfricancities
In light of #WorldHealthDay (7 April 2026), one truth is undeniable: the future of health is urban 🏙️. And nowhere is this more urgent than in Africa.
Over 40% of Africa's population already lives in cities. By 2050, that figure is expected to double, with more than half in informal settlements.The health challenges this brings are not hypothetical. They are unfolding right now, on the streets, in the markets, and in the homes of millions of people.
Extreme heat. Air pollution. Unsafe water and sanitation. Poor nutrition. Uncollected waste. Unsafe roads. Limited green space. Vector-borne disease. Mental health stress. Climate-driven displacement.
These are 10 interconnected urban risk factors shaping health in African cities, and they demand a coordinated response 🤝.
But here is what gives us reason for hope: local governments already hold many of the levers 🏛️. Urban planning, food systems, mobility, housing, environment. These are municipal mandates. When cities design health in from the start, prevention becomes policy.
Achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030 will not happen through clinics alone. It requires designing healthier cities 🌍.
➡️ Explore these 10 urban health risk factors and their actionable solutions in our carousel below, and read our full World Health Day blog (link in bio) to understand why health-first urbanism is one of the most powerful investments African cities can make.
🔗 Learn more about designing healthy cities on our website: africa.iclei.org/world-health-day-2026
#WorldHealthDay2026 #urbanhealth #Healthycities #localgovernment
Turning waste into opportunity! 🌱✨
#AfriFOODlinks is tackling #foodwaste in Langa with a smart waste diversion system for informal food traders—and the whole community could benefit.
Highlights so far:
🍂 Biobin in-vessel machine transforming organic waste into nutrient-rich compost for local gardens
🛒 Collection of ash & organic waste from 'Smiley Market' and households
🤝 Launch of the Langa Waste Forum to drive community-led solutions
Why it matters: this project not only reduces landfill pressure, but also creates healthy soil for local growers, cleaner streets, and stronger community collaboration.
From market scraps to thriving gardens, Langa is showing how food waste can feed growth, not landfills! ♻️💚
Turning food waste into opportunity! 🌍🍅
Across African cities, from Langa to Lagos, communities are finding smart ways to reduce food waste, like composting, sharing, and supporting local growers. 💚
Swipe left➡️ to see 7 practical tips you can use at home, at your market, or in your neighborhood to save food, save money, and make your city greener! 🌱
#Foodlossandwaste
