Strengthening Climate Action in Garowe: Rapid Appraisal Training and Bottom-up Development Initiatives
Connective Cities Empowers Municipal Representatives from Somalia and Kenya to Drive Sustainable City Development
Photo: Connective Cities
Connective Cities successfully organized the inaugural training on the "Rapid Appraisal of Climate-sensitive City Advantages" (RACCA) for municipal representatives from Somalia and Kenya. The training took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from April 24th to 27th, 2023. Its primary objective was to strengthen the capacity of municipal representatives to develop integrated climate action plans for their respective cities.
In Garowe, Somalia, Connective Cities actively supports the implementation of a Bottom-up and Climate-sensitive City Development (CSCD) approach. The training aimed to familiarize the participants (15 from Garowe, 2 from Kisumu, 2 from Nairobi) with the RACCA methodology, which emphasizes the active involvement of local stakeholders in designing sustainable city climate strategies.
The training focused on empowering the participants to conduct their own rapid appraisal in their municipalities and initiate the analysis of CSCD initiatives. An interactive and engaging learning approach was adopted, providing participants with tools for analysing concrete development initiatives in urban areas, specifically prioritized topics such as water, mobility, green spaces, and waste management.
The training benefited from the expertise of representatives from UN-Habitat and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, in addition to the municipal representatives from Somalia and Kenya. The German Association of Cities (Deutscher Städtetag) and the municipal administration of the city of Bonn, including the deputy mayor, were also represented, enabling valuable peer-to-peer learning experiences.
Photo: Connective Cities
During the excursions, the participants had the opportunity to visit Gjenge Makers LTD, a local company that recycles plastics to produce paving blocks, and explore the city park Uhuru, which is currently closed. These visits provided practical examples and valuable insights to the participants.
By the end of the training, the participants had developed initial initiatives that the Garowe team will implement in the coming months, focusing on the following initiatives in the next weeks:
Analysis of waste flows and composition to identify opportunities for improving waste management along the chain.
Assessment of a designated tuk-tuk area (roads) based on previous experience.
Analysis of the water chain and water losses, and exploration of possibilities for better utilization of water sources.
Promotion of new nurseries in collaboration with schools in Garowe, such as Cambal High School.
The RACCA team will continue with a comprehensive bottom-up appraisal in Garowe in August. This appraisal will involve interviews and focus group discussions with key local stakeholders. The ultimate outcome will be a bottom-up city strategy for Garowe, accompanied by a range of concrete short-term initiatives implemented by local experts and stakeholders.
If you would like to know more about the RACCA approach or would like to get in touch with the working group, please do not hesitate!
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