Written by: The Fatu Network Newsroom
Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) has been selected as one of 50 global finalists in the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, marking a significant achievement for the Gambian municipality in the international arena of urban innovation.
In announcing their selection, KMC expressed pride in the achievement, stating on their official social media: “We are proud to announce that Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) has been selected as one of 50 global finalists in the prestigious 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge! Selected from over 630 applications across 33 countries, KMC’s innovative proposal stood out for its bold approach to tackling real urban challenges and improving lives.”
The municipality emphasized the significance of the recognition, noting: “This global recognition is a testament to our ongoing commitment to innovation, sustainable development, and delivering better services for the people of Kanifing.”
The selection represents a notable accomplishment, with KMC being chosen from over 630 applications submitted by municipalities across 33 countries. The competition attracted cities from diverse regions, from Boise to Belfast, and from Ansan to Addis Ababa, representing over 80 million residents collectively.
According to Bloomberg Philanthropies, the 50 finalist ideas were selected based on three key criteria: originality, potential for impact, and credible vision for delivery. The submitted proposals aimed to address various urban challenges including increasing public transit ridership, lowering household energy costs, expanding urban green space, improving service response times, strengthening sanitation systems, enhancing youth safety, and safeguarding water supply.
As a finalist, KMC will receive $50,000 to prototype their proposed solution. The municipality will also participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Ideas Camp scheduled for July 2025, where city officials will work alongside experts and fellow finalists to refine and test their concepts.
The competition will advance to a second phase in January 2026, when 25 cities with the most promising ideas will each receive $1 million in funding plus operational assistance to implement their proposals. This represents an expansion from previous Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge rounds, which typically selected between 5 to 15 winners.
The 2025 Mayors Challenge reflects diverse regional priorities and challenges. According to the competition data, approximately one-third of U.S. and Canadian applicants focused on housing and shelter solutions, while nearly half of African applicants proposed improvements to waste collection and management systems. In the Asia-Pacific region, one in five applicants concentrated on cleaner water, air, and infrastructure, and 22 percent of European applicants sought poverty reduction or social inclusion enhancements.
KMC joins other notable cities in the finalist list, including major metropolitan areas such as Seoul, Toronto, Barcelona, and Detroit, as well as other African cities like Addis Ababa, Cape Town, and Benin City.
James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, emphasized the practical nature of municipal innovation, stating that it involves “solving hard problems under pressure, often with imperfect tools and finite resources.” He noted that the selected finalists distinguish themselves by designing solutions that address both implementation complexity and urgent resident needs.
The program’s advisory committee includes Professor Lesley Lokko OBE, Founder and Chair of the African Futures Institute, and Admiral Michael G. Mullen, President & CEO of MGM Consulting, who will work with finalist cities to advance their proposals.
The 2025 Mayors Challenge builds on more than a decade of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ work in supporting urban innovation. Previous competition rounds have provided 38 winning cities with funding and technical assistance to implement their ideas. Through replication support, the program has extended its impact to 337 additional cities globally, reaching over 100 million residents worldwide.
Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3.7 billion in 2024 across its focus areas of Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health, operating in 700 cities across 150 countries.
The Ideas Camp in July 2025 will serve as a crucial development phase for KMC and other finalists, providing opportunities for peer learning and expert guidance. The final selection of 25 winning cities will be announced in January 2026, with implementation support extending beyond the initial funding through Bloomberg Philanthropies’ expanded Cities Idea Exchange platform.
KMC’s inclusion among the finalists positions the municipality as a recognized participant in global discussions about urban innovation and sustainable development, regardless of the final competition outcome. The achievement demonstrates the municipality’s capacity to develop solutions that meet international standards for innovation and implementation feasibility.
