Africa has an unprecedented opportunity to create a world-leading net zero buildings sector from the ground up. Facing an explosive boom in population and building stock, it also has three critical ingredients in play that can drive and embed ideal processes to ensure a sustainable future. These will avoid the need to claw back the effects of poor policies and construction practices that could otherwise lock in high emissions for decades.

 

By 2050, Africa is set to double its population; and 70% of the anticipated building stock is yet to be built. This provides an extraordinary opportunity to ensure decarbonization of the building sector at the outset, according to Mugure Njendu, Africa Program Development Consultant, GBPN. 

“Unlike the rest of the world, which is spending billions of dollars to reverse the effects of carbon emissions, Africa has the opportunity to do things right in the built environment from the beginning,” Ms Njendu said.

“This is why we must mainstream and accelerate building sector decarbonization in Africa now. But to do things right, it requires the right policies in place, the right skill set, the right infrastructure to support building decarbonization.”

 

 

Seize the day: Significant opportunities for net-zero buildings

Ms Njendu said that Africa’s path to a sustainable built environment lies in three key opportunities. 

“The biggest opportunity is policy development. There are only about ten countries in Africa that have a formal building code in place,” Ms Njendu said. 

“This is a significant opportunity to design building codes with energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and low-impact designs.”

The second opportunity is the development of Healthy Housing. 

“There is a deficit in housing units to meet the demand across different countries. Incorporating healthy housing principles—emphasizing thermal comfort, ventilation, and energy efficiency—can improve the quality of life while reducing emissions. 

The third opportunity is the young workforce.

“Africa has a very young population. Leveraging youth not just as labor but also as an innovative workforce is a great opportunity for sustainable building practices. We need to train young people for green jobs. This addresses unemployment and creates capacity for a net-zero future.”

Overcoming key challenges

Barriers to implementing more sustainable policies and practices often start with misperceptions, according to Ms Njendu. 

“There is a perception that why does Africa need to adopt sustainability measures when the continent has contributed very little to emissions and the climate crisis?” Ms Njendu said. 

“This narrative comes from the fact that green and net-zero construction practices are generally costlier than current construction practices. But this is a myopic view. Africa may not have contributed to it, but it disproportionately suffers the effects of unchecked carbon emissions. We cannot afford not to take climate action.”

According to Rehema Kabare, Africa Program Assistant, GBPN, another critical challenge is the need for more awareness and capacity among professionals and developers. 

“Many do not know about or care to implement green building measures, as they are perceived to be more expensive,” Ms Kabare said. 

“It’s not just about designs; the equipment, material and other costs add up. These challenges must be addressed through faster innovation, capacity building, and adopting locally-sourced materials and construction methods. A lot of the solutions are already locally available. We need to ensure that they are affordable, accessible, and supported by policy.”

“The lack of sufficient data is another frequent challenge in many African countries. There is data, but there is room for improvement and better data modeling.”

How is GBPN making an impact?

GBPN’s strategy has always been to work where the tons are, said Dr Peter Graham, Executive Director. 

“Africa presents a unique opportunity – most of the buildings that will be standing by 2050 have not been built yet. In a business-as-usual scenario, Africa could overtake the United States as the second largest building sector emitter by 2050,” Dr Graham said. 

“GBPN’s work is focussed on abatement, policy development, healthy housing and the emerging focus on just transition. Academia, private and public sectors are showing a readiness to move towards sustainability.”

GBPN is working with Kenya in the development of the Built Environment Decarbonization Roadmap at the invitation of the State Department for Public Works at the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing & Urban Development. Kenya is a signatory to the Buildings Breakthrough Agenda. GBPN is a supportive initiative of the Buildings Breakthrough Agenda and is leading Kenya’s roadmap development as part of its commitment to achieve the goal of ‘nearly zero-emissions and resilient buildings becoming the new normal by 2030’.

Kennedy Matheka, Buildings and Climate Coordinator, State Department for Public Works, said that the roadmap will act as a guide to achieve sector goals as aligned with the national and international commitments.

“We realized, as a ministry and as a sector, that we need to develop a plan to guide all players to achieve our sustainability goals by 2050. With this roadmap, we can guide our partners, our institutions and our business community to a sustainable and greener economy,” Mr Matheka said.

“We thank GBPN for its support in creating a coalition of partners that will help us achieve our Vision 2050. This will help us engage with international and local partners to develop a roadmap that is inclusive, and will encourage all institutions to support the development and implementation.”

GBPN is working collaboratively with the government, partner organizations, and other local stakeholders in the development of the roadmap, Ms Kabare said. 

“We have engaged with around 60 stakeholders as of now. With this project, we want to build a coalition of experts who will work on the roadmap development and create action areas to support its implementation. We are identifying experts both in the industry and the government who will be a part of the development process as well as champion the roadmap.”

Ms Njendu said the coalition will also be expanded with experts from other countries. “GBPN is also working with other countries of interest and building networks. We want to customize and replicate our work in Kenya to other countries. Coalition building and collaboration are an important part of our work in Africa.”

The Kenya Built Environment Roadmap is a validated, clear path for the built environment industry towards decarbonization of the built environment that is in line with national commitments. It is a clear guide for people at all levels to know what options and strategies are available and how to use them to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment.

Social justice and built environment 

Ms Njendu said there can’t be an equitable transition without sustainable housing. “Housing is such a big part of people’s lives and human rights. There can’t be climate equity or a just transition without sustainable housing.”

“This has been evidenced with GBPN’s work in India. The lack of thermal comfort can affect the physical, mental and psychological health of inhabitants. This is true for Africa too, because of rapid urbanization. Just transition must be a part of the equation, or it can cause long-term damage. We will continue to champion this in our work in Africa.”

 

Watch participants at the Kenya Built Environment Decarbonization Roadmap Workshop speak on how the roadmap will contribute to a sustainable built environment.

 

 

 

 

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GBPN runs innovative building policy reform programs in key regions around the world that aim to tackle the climate emergency by decarbonising the buildings sector. Stay up to date with our newsletter.

Stay in touch with how we’re transforming the buildings sector

GBPN runs innovative building policy reform programs in key regions around the world that aim to tackle the climate emergency by decarbonising the buildings sector. Stay up to date with our newsletter.