African Cities for Clean Air (AC4CA) Knowledge Product: What Works: Clean Air Transport Interventions for African Cities

Request for Proposal (RfP)
African Cities for Clean Air (AC4CA) Knowledge Product: What Works:
Clean Air Transport Interventions for African Cities
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Inc.
120 Park Avenue, 23rd Floor
New York, NY 10017
United States of America
April 2026

Contents
1. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Inc. 1
2. Summary, purpose and background of the project 1
3. Proposal guidelines 2
4. RfP and project timeline 4
5. Proposal evaluation criteria 6
6. Project budget 7
7. C40 policies 8
8. Submissions 8
1. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Inc.
C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world's leading cities, who are working to deliver the urgent
action needed right now to confront the climate crisis, and create a future where everyone, everywhere can
thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help
the world limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. Through a
Global Green New Deal, mayors are working alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour,
business, the youth climate movement and civil society to go further and faster than ever before.
The strategic direction of the organisation is determined by an elected Steering Committee of C40 mayors
which is co-chaired by Mayor Sadiq Khan of London, United Kingdom, and Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of
Freetown, Sierra Leone. Three term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of
the C40 Board of Directors, which is responsible for operational oversight. A nine-person management
team, led by Executive Director, Mark Watts, leads the day-to-day management of C40. C40's three core
strategic funders are Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and
Realdania.
To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit our Website, or follow us on X, Instagram,
Facebook and LinkedIn.
2. Summary, purpose and background of the project
Air pollution remains a critical challenge across African cities, with Sub-Saharan Africa experiencing PM2.5
levels more than 12 times the WHO guideline of 5 μg/m³. Premature deaths from outdoor air pollution in
Africa have increased by 57% in the last three decades with GDP losses of over $215 billion annually. The
transport sector is a major contributor to urban air pollution, accounting for significant shares of particulate
matter, nitrogen oxides, and black carbon emissions in African cities.

Request for Proposals: African Cities for Clean Air (AC4CA) Knowledge Product: What Works: Clean Air Transport
1
Interventions for African Cities

African Cities for Clean Air (AC4CA) is an initiative that supports C40 African cities to attain the data,
evidence and technical capacity needed to design and implement priority air quality legislations, policies,
programs and technologies. Launched in 2022, the programme has successfully supported 12 cities in
Africa, providing tailored technical support for policy implementation, knowledge exchange, and
showcasing mayors' commitments to delivering clean air.
C40 is planning the African Clean Air Transport Finance Academy, an in-person workshop to be held in
Nairobi in June 2026. The workshop will bring together Air Quality, Transport, and Environment leads, as
well as Finance Officers from 15 African cities. To complement the workshop and provide practical
guidance for cities, C40 seeks to develop a knowledge product that identifies and documents priority
clean air transport interventions, most suitable for the African context.
Project
C40 is seeking a Service Provider (company, individual consultant, or consortium) to research, identify, and
document practical urban road transport interventions that have proven effective to achieve cleaner air in
African cities or comparable Global South urban contexts.
The knowledge product should focus on the intersection of urban road transport and air quality, identifying
interventions that directly reduce transport-related air pollution (PM2.5, black carbon, nitrogen oxides)
while being practical and feasible for implementation in African city contexts. The scope is limited to urban
road transport; maritime, aviation, and long-distance freight are excluded. Given the significant contextual
differences in infrastructure, institutional capacity, financing availability, and urban form, the Service
Provider should prioritise examples from African cities and comparable Global South contexts. Where a
Global North example is included, it must be accompanied by clear guidance on how it can be adapted for
implementation in African city contexts.
The Service Provider will be responsible for researching successful African city examples, identifying
transferable interventions from comparable contexts, and producing a professionally designed knowledge
product that serves as a practical reference for AC4CA cities.
Audience:
The primary audience for this knowledge product is:
1. City tec