The Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey has stressed the need for a common platform for mayors worldwide to share knowledge and best practices with others to help cities learn, collaborate, and implement innovative solutions for sustainable development.

According to him, this would institutionalise lessons from former and current city leaders, enhance policy continuity, accelerate delivery on climate action, basic services, and inclusive growth.

Mayor Allotey made the call when he joined leaders from 20 global cities, including Ahmedabad, Freetown, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam, at the first-ever Urban 20 (U20) Mayors Summit hosted on African soil.

The three-day summit, co-hosted by Johannesburg and Tshwane, was convened by C40 Cities and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) to strengthen the role of cities in addressing global challenges such as climate change and sustainable urbanisation.

The summit, which follows the June 2025 U20 Sherpa Meeting in Tshwane, focused on how local governments could drive an equitable and resilient urban green transition.

Mayor Allotey highlighted the importance of collaboration across time, not just across borders, adding that cities like Accra urgently require direct access to climate finance to address the effects of climate change.

He recommended scaling up climate finance for African cities, establishing frameworks for inclusive urban development, and creating mechanisms for regular peer-to-peer exchange among city leaders to address the systemic challenges while contributing effectively to the global green transition.

Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, said the gathering was about “possibility, not prestige,” noting that cities were becoming the bridge between lived realities and global commitments.

Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya  warned that the lack of investment for African cities was a “chasm holding the entire continent back.”

Mayors during the summit presented practical solutions for closing the climate finance gap, with a recent study by the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance revealing that African cities receive less than 4% of the funding they require for climate action.

In addition to finance, the summit examined innovative governance models, support for workers affected by the green transition, and mechanisms to create decent green jobs with some sessions including “Advancing a Just Transition in Cities,” “Navigating Financial Challenges and Innovative Funding Solutions,” and “Governance and Informality through Equitable Climate Action and Public Service Provision.”