Evaluating the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa: added value, progress, and lessons for the future
Since its launch in 2015, the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) has become a major initiative supporting African cities in their response to climate change and in improving access to clean energy. Funded by the European Union and co-financed by Germany and Spain, CoM SSA is part of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. Today, more than 200 cities across 36 Sub-Saharan countries have signed up, committing to long-term climate and energy action through Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans (SEACAPs).
Programme Achievements
The final evaluation highlights both the relevance and scale of the initiative. With Africa’s rapid urbanisation, CoM SSA’s focus on local governments is crucial. The programme has successfully engaged hundreds of municipalities, surpassing its target of 200 signatories, and has provided significant capacity building through technical assistance and workshops. Cities especially valued peer exchanges, which created strong networks for sharing experiences and best practices.
Pilot projects showed mixed results: while some cities advanced quickly with draft SEACAPs, others faced delays due to political instability, lack of technical expertise, or limited direct involvement of city administrations. Still, the overall added value of the initiative is clear: it created political ownership, improved local technical skills, and promoted sustainable energy and climate planning at the local level.
Key Lessons and Recommendations
The evaluation also draws important lessons for the future. Greater alignment between local SEACAPs and national climate strategies is needed to ensure impact. Capacity building remains a priority, requiring more technical staff on the ground and support from local organisations to guarantee continuity. Better coordination with other international programmes is recommended to avoid duplication of efforts. Finally, fostering multilingual platforms for experience-sharing among cities will strengthen the CoM SSA community and enhance learning across regions.
The Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa has proven its relevance and value by mobilising hundreds of cities and building local capacity for climate action. While challenges remain, the initiative has laid a strong foundation for Phase III, where scaling up, deepening vertical integration with national governments, and securing sustainable financing will be key. CoM SSA is now well-positioned to continue empowering African municipalities as central actors in the global fight against climate change.
For more information, contact:
Project Lead – Climate, Energy & Urban Development
