The Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and C40 Cities co-chair, Mayor Yvonne Aki, has hailed the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA) Roof Top Garden as a shining model of sustainable urban innovation that advances environmental stewardship and city resilience.
According to her the lush greenery and innovative design of the garden reminded her of similar climate-friendly projects in her city, leaving her both amazed and elated at the creativity and vision behind the initiative.
She made the remarks during a tour of the garden on Thursday when she called on the Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey, as part of her short visit to Ghana for the African Government Conference
The rooftop garden, located at the top of the Accra City Hall (AMA Head Office) and titled “Green Above the Skies of Accra”, is being implemented by the Amamomo Youth Group under the Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF) Phase II.
The project seeks to transform unused rooftop space into a thriving green farm, promoting urban agriculture, biodiversity, and sustainable living while tackling the growing impacts of climate change in city environments.
The garden features both manually irrigated and solar-powered automated farming sections, cultivating vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, and pepper, alongside some ornamental plants.
It also includes a rest area for youth volunteers, flower pots made from repurposed plastic waste, and decorative signage crafted from recycled textiles and plastics including one that reads “Bloomberg Philanthropies”, the funder of the YCAF initiative.
Feeling a deep sense of nostalgia, the Freetown Mayor said she was both amazed and elated by the transformation of the AMA rooftop into a productive, climate-smart space adding that such initiatives stood as a powerful testament to the creativity and commitment of African cities in addressing environmental challenges.
