The Rockefeller Foundation has given reasons why Enugu achieved the historic selection as the first Nigerian city to join the 100 Resilient Cities Network (100RC).
The city was among the four African cities and the overall 35 new cities from across the globe to be invited to join the exclusive club in this year’s edition of the programme during the Rockefeller Foundation’s Urban Resilience Summit in Singapore last Wednesday.
The other three African cities that made the list alongside the Coal City of Enugu are Kigali (Rwanda), Accra (Ghana) and Arusha (Tanzania).
The organization hinted that the choice of Enugu was predicated on the spectacular transformation the city had undergone in the past seven years under the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime.
It explained that Enugu was chosen from 331 applicants on the basis of its ability to “demonstrate a unique vision for resilience, a long-term commitment to cutting across silos of government and sectors of society, a special attention to the needs of the poor and vulnerable.”
A letter conveying news of Enugu’s selection and signed by Michael Berkowitz, the President, 100 Resilient Cities read in part: “Today is an exciting day. Today is the day you join a community of resilience pioneers. This year, 331 cities from more than 90 countries applied to the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge. Among these hundreds of cities, your city’s innovative approach to urban resilience and your commitment to a collaborative partnership within your community and 100 Resilient Cities was deemed exceptional. It is for these reasons, among others, that Enugu has been selected as one of the 100 Resilient Cities.”
The Foundation stressed that Enugu like other Network cities will serve as a model for other global cities that seek to build their own resilience.
