By Obiabin Onukwugha
Kenya and Italy have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation on climate action and sustainable urban development.
Both countries made the commitment during a meeting between Kenya’s Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary, Engr Festus Ng’eno and Italian delegation led by Director General for Development Cooperation, Stefano Gatti.
The meeting focused on advancing the Green Cities in Action for Africa programme and identifying practical areas of collaboration to support Kenya’s climate agenda.
The meeting further explored opportunities for cooperation under Article 6 of the carbon markets framework, particularly in waste management and clean energy.
Kenya’s Department for Environment and Climate Change in a post on its X social media handle on Wednesday, said both countries agreed on the importance of identifying concrete, results-oriented projects, especially in waste management, while ensuring strong political support to drive implementation at the highest levels.
Speaking, Mr. Gatti underscored Italy’s commitment to deepening partnerships with Kenya, noting that several Italian institutions are already actively engaged in climate-related initiatives across the country. He highlighted ongoing efforts in climate action, technical support in the coffee sector, and the promotion of green jobs.
The delegation emphasized the importance of leveraging shared resources and expertise to enhance impact, particularly in empowering women and advancing regenerative agriculture. They pointed to the Cherangani landscape programme as a strong model and expressed interest in expanding cooperation into areas such as biofuels, waste-to-energy solutions, biodegradable plastics, recycling, and investment in the coffee value chain.
Engr. Ng’eno highlighted ongoing collaboration with the county governments of Nairobi and Kisumu under the Green Cities programme, with a focus on urban planning, water, transport, and sanitation. He further called for the scaling up of successful initiatives such as the Cherangani programme to additional counties, citing its wider ecosystem benefits.
He also raised concern over pressing environmental challenges, including the degradation of the Mau Forest Complex and rising water levels in Rift Valley lakes such as Lake Baringo, Lake Nakuru, Lake Turkana, and Lake Naivasha and called for enhanced collaboration to address these issues.
Dr. Ng’eno welcomed the renewed commitment, expressing optimism that strengthened collaboration would accelerate Kenya’s transition to a green, resilient, and inclusive economy.
The Principal Secretary was accompanied by the Secretary for Forest Development, Mr. George Tarus, NECC CEO Mary Njogu, and other government officials. The Italian delegation included Director of AICS, Marco Rusconi, Director of International Development Cooperation at Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Carlo Rossotto, among others.
