Cocody, Ivory Coast
Eco-City Initiative for Cocody
In cooperation with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, ERI's Professor Toure (head of ERI West Africa's office) is working directly with the City of Cocody and its Mayor, Mr. N'GOAN Aka Mathias, to create the first West African eco-city. This city will be fueled by clean green energy and use carbon sequestration projects to reduce CO2 emissions by 28% by 2030.
To achieve this objective (which is an integral part of the strategic plans and priority objectives of the Ivorian Government), the United Nations and the African Union - in tandem with ERI - are targeting the City of Cocody in Abijdan to be the pilot city for building and implementing an Eco-City initiative, entitled "Cocody Cité Verte, Carbon well of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and Africa …."
This pilot city will serve as a business plan and model for addressing climate change and sustainability, and will eventually convert all 13 municipalities in the District of Abidjan and other the cities of Côte d'Ivoire and West Africa into eco-cities.
OVERVIEW
Our Green City Initiative for Cocody uses a holistic approach to execute climate and sustainable development projects in the community, with the goal of reducing the EGES of Cocody by 90% before 2030. The initiative addresses the following:
- Lowering of the planet's temperature
- Helping to prevent climatic catastrophes
- Eradicating pollution
- Combating unemployment and poverty
- Ensuring a sustainable environment
The initiative will lead to not only environmental sustainability, but also to the creation of thousands of green jobs, training and employment for thousands of young men and women, and economic empowerment for women.
The role of US-based NGO Earth Rights Institute (ERI-USA) and its consortium of international partners is to help with the ecological planning and transformation of Cocody, which will be carried out under the office of Mr N'GOAN AKA Mathias, Mayor of Cocody.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Here is a summary of our main projects starting April 2017:
I. Solar Energy Program
City solar power plant program
- Creation of four central solar plants
- Implementation of solar kits to replace wood and coal
- Implementation of 400 solar photovoltaic lamps for public lighting
- Implementation of 5000 street lights with solar lights
- Installation of 1600 solar traffic lights
- Installation of 200,000 Attieké photovoltaic solar ovens for low-income families
- Installation of 1000 solar food dehydrators for urban organic farming
- Replacement fireplaces with bioethanol cookstoves to reduce methanization
II. Reforestation and Carbon Sequestration Program
- Planting a total of 2 million trees, including 1,000 kms of roadside tree planting and 50 km2 of planting trees in parks and gardens of 2 million trees
- Creation of a municipal tree nursery
- Ecological restoration of 30 kms of lagoon coastline in the Bay of Cocody, including the planting of 2 million mangrove trees
- Development of 20 kms of parks and gardens for the city
III. Sustainable Transportation Development Program
- Sustainable Urban Agriculture: enhancement of sustainable urban agriculture
- Sustainable Building Project: sustainable housing for all, with a focus on providing for the displaced and deprived
- Reducing car pollution by 80% by replacing city taxis with environmentally friendly vehicles
- Begin circulation of non-polluting WIB public buses
IV. Climate Sensitisation Program for the General Population
- Initiate a local eco-radio program
- Adoption and usage of solar
- Adoption of creating a community of eco-citizens
- Creation of local citizen groups on climate change and security
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