Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa will be supported by green building network World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) to develop or advance national climate action roadmaps. 

The initiative will be led by national green building councils (GBCs) and delivered through multi-stakeholder coalitions. It aims to set out practical steps to cut emissions and improve resilience in the built environment to 2050.

According to WorldGBC, buildings and construction account for about one-third of global energy-related carbon emissions. Therefore, transforming the sector is central to achieving international climate targets.

WorldGBC reports that, in Europe, national roadmaps contributed to increased ambition to cut emissions, with GBCs reporting positive development in more than 40 policies and the deployment of over €300-million in public sector innovation funding. Further, in Europe, the #BuildingLife initiative delivered 12 national Whole Life Carbon roadmaps, influenced EU building policy through the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and mobilised more than 800 companies to commit to life-cycle decarbonisation.

The WorldGBC seeks to replicate this success in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa and will cocreate roadmaps that

will outline short-, medium- and long-term actions and will involve, and be endorsed by, stakeholders across government, industry, finance and civil society. The WorldGBC says that the roadmaps will follow a common, science-based methodology and include measurable goals to track progress.

The Africa-focused expansion builds on similar projects in other regions. 

It also aligns with international efforts led by the UN Environment Programme-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction.

WorldGBC notes that roadmap-based approaches have been formally recognised by the COP30 Presidency, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Climate High-level Champions as a ‘Plan to Accelerate Solutions’.

The launch coincides with the conclusion of the first International Conference on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, where nearly 60 countries committed to developing transition roadmaps.

Each participating GBC will lead a nationally driven process to coordinate stakeholders across the value chain.

Ethiopian Green Building Council MD and co-founder Liku Solomon says the roadmap will translate national climate commitments by establishing standards to address operational and embodied carbon while improving urban resilience. He notes that the support will enable stakeholder coordination, strengthen the evidence base and support building code reform and green finance mobilisation.

Meanwhile, Green Building Council Nigeria president Danjuma Waniko says the roadmap will support improved decision-making, and Green Building Council South Africa public sector advocacy and sustainability manager Bakang Moeng believes the roadmap will translate climate commitments into locally relevant actions, citing the Gauteng pilot project. 

“The initiative reflects a commitment to ensuring that the transition to a zero-emissions and climate-resilient built environment is inclusive and regionally led,” says WorldGBC CEO Cristina Gamboa, concluding that further national roadmap projects are planned for the Asia-Pacific region later this year.