World Bank names Sakaja’s office best green government building in Africa

In Dubai, UAE

The World Bank has named Nairobi City County Governor’s office the best green government office on the continent at the ongoing World Climate Meet (COP28) in Dubai. 

This followed findings of a World Bank study that ranked Governor Johnson Sakaja’s office as 100 per cent less embodied in carbon materials, 28 per cent on energy savings and 23 per cent on water.

The findings were audited by a third party and submitted to the Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI), to confirm and certify whether it met the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE standard) that was created by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to make the certification process easier and more accessible.

According to the World Bank, such developments can obtain certification by achieving a minimum projected reduction of 20 per cent in energy and water use, in addition to savings in energy embodied in materials, compared to a standard building.

“The certification of the Nairobi City County Governors office as the first IFC EDGE Green Government Office, is an important and significant milestone as it makes the office the first IFC EDGE Green Government office in Africa, and indeed makes H.E. Johnson Arthur Sakaja, the first African mayor/governor and current vice co-chair at the C40 Cities, to do so, which is a clear display of leadership in action from the global south, which will hopefully inspire other local governments to take a lead on driving climate action at the sub-national level,” the World Bank said.  

While reacting to the news, an elated Governor Sakaja told the Nation.Africa that he will make it his mission to prioritise greening the city.

Green legislation

“We are grateful for this recognition and remain committed to continue making Nairobi green and achieve the target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. We are implementing our Climate Action Plan (CAP) and continue to push for green legislation, and initiatives because we must leave the next generation with a sustainable and liveable city,” Sakaja said.

“As a capital city, and a local government, pushing for a green Nairobi means looking at how we can also work towards converting informal settlements into Green communities, working towards making our neighborhoods, hubs of sustainable climate action, where communities then take ownership of their efforts, and having green markets that prioritises trade without compromising health," the governor explained.

"Ultimately, we are hoping that this will start off a chain reaction that inspires the market both locally, and regionally, drives green legislation and investment in a way that not only prioritises sustainability, from the environmental lens, but the realisation that all that we do, preserving the planet, building cities and leadership, at the heart of it all, is for people, and doing this in the right way means, Africa taking charge of its narrative with its people at the centre,” he added.

Speaking to the Nation.Africa in an interview on the sidelines of COP28, Nasra Nanda, a member of the Nairobi City County Assembly and a member of the county’s Environment and Resources Committee, who received the certification on behalf of Governor Sakaja, said that cities, human settlements and other peri-urban spaces are the foundation of all activity in the new and growing Africa, and in a rapidly growing continent with an urban population expected to be 1.6 billion by 2030.

“For this reason, if we get it right in cities, from planning, projects, policy, to data, then we will ultimately, mitigate risk, unlock bankability and realize opportunities with the right avenues backed by policy and incentives that can only come from/with both private sectors in collaboration with the county  government," Ms Nanda said.

She said COP28 particularly marked an important milestone for Kenya, citing the critical part that local governments, cities and the built environment, can play in winning the climate conversation, which for Africa is also a development issue.

Climate action plan

"This is significant especially because we have recently concluded the Urban Agenda and Buildings day at COP, with key commitments supporting mayors, and cities being at the heart of this conversation, and Kenya taking a leadership role in the global south, and championing Africa,” the MCA explained.

But why is certifying Nairobi City County Governor’s office significant, and how was it made possible?

“With 80 per cent of the world’s GDP from cities; 2.5 billion more people living in cities by 2050, 95 per cent of whom will be in Asia and Africa; and 60 percent of the world’s carbon emissions being attributable to cities (and over 70 per cent of the world’s energy), Nairobi was a key driver in telling the African story,” explained Ms Nanda, who has been prominently involved in a project dedicated to greening the governor’s office.

“It kicked off with my understanding that for a reactive market like Kenya, if we want to create impact, and push sustainability, then change must start with our leaders, and as the Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS), and chair of the World Green Building Council’s Africa Regional Network, we aimed to champion sustainability in the built environment in a way that works for developing markets.”

She explained that this is why she felt the purpose of KGBS would be to support the county’s climate action plan by working on a greening project that would aim towards certifying the governor’s office, pushing for green policy, while putting people, especially the urban poor, at the heart of it all.

According to Ms Nanda, the achievement (certification), which was a collaborative effort between KGBS and Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) to support the county, is a critical first step, which sends a strong signal that Nairobi is serious about becoming the green capital of the world.

“This also signals that by leading from the top, the market will follow suit, as the county will now move on to push for green legislation through the Nairobi Climate Change Management Bill, and the Nairobi Green Building Guidelines, and other climate-related laws and policies to work towards making Nairobi truly a green and resilient city, and unlocking and mobilising green finance for Nairobi," said Ms Nanda.

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