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Join Race to Resilience at Africa Climate Week

By Climate Champions | September 23, 2021

Join the Race to Resilience and an expert panel of built environment sector practitioners from across Africa to explore how to meet the challenge of rapid population growth and urbanization with decarbonized, resilient housing.

When: Tuesday September 28, 09.00-10.00 GMT +3

The immediate opportunity to build quality, decarbonized and resilient buildings

With increasing population growth and rapid unplanned urbanisation in Africa, there is mounting demand for buildings. The floor area in Africa is expected to more than double between now and 2050, over 90% of which will be in the residential sector.

The pace and scale of this required housing construction has the potential to significantly exacerbate carbon emissions. At the same time, climate change is already causing extreme heat surges along with widespread drought stresses which mean the need for climate-resilient buildings is also growing.

The Race to Resilience event will look at how to avoid ‘locking’ emissions in inefficient and unsafe new residential construction whilst simultaneously addressing the huge need for rapid delivery of climate-resilient housing from all angles, including policy, how to finance it as well as tangible practical examples of low-carbon resilient housing.

Joining the session are:

(Chair) Elizabeth Wangeci Chege – CEO and co-founder of WEB Limited, a sustainable development consultancy and Chair of Africa Regional Network)
Joseph Muturi -Chair of Slumdwellers International. A social activist and leader of Muungano wa Wanavijiji, the national federation of slum dwellers in Kenya.
Aklilu Fikresilassie – Director of Thriving Resilient Cities at World Resources Institute
Seeta Shah – Senior Affordable Housing Specialist, Financial Sector Deepening Kenya, an independent trust dedicated to the achievement of an inclusive financial system that supports Kenya’s long-term development goals.
Esther Segero – Civil & Structural Engineer and Carbon Champion at BuildX
Nzambi Matee – Founder of Gjenge Makers, a social enterprise whose aim is to address the need for sustainable and affordable alternative construction materials
Seddiq Hassani – CEO Holcim Kenya (Bamburi Cement PLC), to discuss low-carbon, resilient construction solutions
Mokena Makeka – Principle at Dalberg

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