Why Climate Finance Isn’t Reaching African Cities | Reimagine Infrastructure

Why do strong climate projects in African cities still struggle to secure funding? In this episode of Re:imagine Infrastructure, host Dr Gori Olusina Daniel speaks with Zarina Moolla of C40 Cities about the gap between climate ambition and on-the-ground delivery. They unpack what climate finance really means for cities, why project ideas often fail to reach scale, and how governments, funders, and local communities can work together to build solutions that last. From Nairobi’s solar-powered cold storage to inclusive energy projects in Lagos, this conversation explores how African cities can turn locally grounded climate ideas into financeable, scalable infrastructure. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 African solutions for African problems 00:37 Welcome to Reimagine Infrastructure 04:43 What climate action implementation means for African cities 07:54 Rethinking climate finance 09:10 What climate finance means in practice 12:08 Why cities struggle to access funding 15:47 From project idea to investable project 16:12 Nairobi’s solar-powered cold-room case study 21:52 Bringing finance and implementation expertise in earlier 25:23 What political leadership masterclasses revealed 27:03 A message for funders and partners 34:00 Closing thoughts and next steps