Africa

Plastic is a Climate Issue, Too

A wide range of environmental changes threaten development. Of these challenges, climate change and plastic pollution in particular inspire concern and action from governments, scientists, and advocates alike. While it is easy to silo the approaches we take to address plastic pollution and climate change, there are fundamental connections between the two issues that can… Read More

Monitoring Particulate Air Pollution and Human Health in Africa

In collaboration with NASA, USAID is supporting the development of next generation technology that will significantly move forward the science of using satellite data to capture concentrations and classes of fine particulate matter. Read More

Clean Air Catalyst

Clean Air Catalyst is a global partnership launched in 2020 by The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to find lasting solutions to air and climate pollution that also contribute to addressing its inequitable effects in the most polluted urban regions around the world. Read More

Toxic Sites Identification Program (TSIP)

The goal of the TSIP project is to assist governments and communities heavily impacted by toxic pollution in low-and middle-income countries to take locally led action at the community, regional and/or national level to mitigate health exposures by breaking pollution exposure pathways, preventing future toxic emissions, and mainstreaming this information to cultivate broad interest in pollution issues. Read More

Ethiopia’s Rapid Urbanization Requires Innovative Municipal Finance

By 2037, Ethiopia’s urban population will double to 42.3 million people. Job creation and innovative municipal financing mechanisms will be integral to a successful urban transition and long term economic growth for the country. To drive the creation of new revenue streams through its industrial sector, Ethiopia has built… Read More

Municipal Finance: Self-Reliant Cities Generate their Own Revenue

Cities account for nearly 80 percent of global domestic product. A suite of municipal services exists to support urban economic growth including water and sanitation, housing, transportation, and more. Both city residents and the businesses employing them require these services to thrive. However, despite growing demands from rapidly urbanizing populations,… Read More

Can we create better jobs in Africa’s booming construction sector?

ILO-The Lab compares constraints and opportunities in the building construction sector in Mozambique, Zambia and Rwanda   By Steve Hartrich and Elisa Mandelli, the Lab Project If you take a stroll through Kigali, Rwanda, chances are you won’t wander long before stumbling across scaffolding,… Read More

Streets for Walking and Cycling

This guide highlights strategies that African cities can use to ensure that city infrastructure is able to accomodate pedestrians and cyclists. Walking and cycling are highly prevalent modes of transportation in African cities, and yet many do not have the infrastructure necesarry to make these trips safe and comfortable. This… Read More

Climate Change Projections for Local Planning in Philippines

A Practical Application of Overlay Analysis and Synthetic Impact Assessment in the Cities of Batangas, General Santos, Legazpi, Puerto Princesa and Tagbilaran Read More

Land Tenure Dynamics in Peri-Urban Zambia

Peri-urban growth in Zambia faces particular challenges due to the interface of state and customary land administration systems with different stakeholders using land under leasehold and customary tenure regimes. Read More