Four African cities receive $40,000 grants each to tackle extreme heat
Four African cities have been selected to receive funding under the African Urban Heat Resilience Grant Program, a flagship initiative of Climate Resilience for All (CRA).
The cities are Accra is in Ghana, Paynesville and Monrovia in Liberia and Kassa in Guinea.
The grants were announced on Wednesday at the sidelines of the second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Kathy McLeod, chief executive officer of CRA , described the initiative as “a new era of African extreme heat leadership”, emphasising the role of women in shaping solutions.
McLeod said the initiative aims to help cities cope with rising temperatures and protect vulnerable individuals, particularly women, who are disproportionately affected by extreme heat.
She noted that each city will receive $40,000 to support data collection, heat mapping, policy planning, and community awareness campaigns.
Seyoum Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s state minister of planning and development, said the grants present an opportunity to “turn visions into action” and build cities that not only survive but thrive in a changing climate.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Freetown Mayor, noted that the grants show Africa is leading efforts to build a cooler, healthier future.
Mayor John-Charuk Saifa of Monrovia added the grant would help the city identify heat hotspots and integrate heat resilience into planning and service delivery.
The initiative builds on CRA’s work in Freetown, where the city launched its first-ever heat action plan in February 2025.
In addition to grants, CRA said it will implement shade infrastructure projects in three of Freetown’s largest informal markets to protect women traders from extreme heat, with solar-powered lighting, cold storage, and fans.
The organisation added that the Africa Urban Heat Summit scheduled for April 2026 will expand these efforts across the continent, sharing lessons and building capacity for cities to protect lives, livelihoods, and health from extreme heat.