The state of development and construction of urban centres and city development requires the urgent need for strict refurbishment and retrofit guidelines. As cities grow, there’s a need to refurbish and retrofit these buildings to meet current demands for comfort, safety, and sustainability. Worsening climate deterioration, drives making nearly zero energy building (nZEB) approaches imperative rather than optional. While renewable technology installations often dominate such discourse, renovating existing building stocks presents greater potential for rapid climate mitigation at scale. Africa, with its growing young population, faces unique challenges as most existing structures were built without consideration for energy efficiency. Rather than demolishing these buildings and exacerbating environmental issues, retrofitting offers a sustainable alternative to meet increasing housing demands. To this end, the chapter examines building retrofitting’s potential contributions to Africa’s sustainable development, highlighting advantages including environmental sustainability, cultural and historical heritages preservation, and energy efficiency. However, significant barriers including high initial costs, limited expertise, and potential increases in rental prices for retrofitted properties. The study analyses these challenges to widespread retrofit adoption across the continent and proposes tailored solutions for the African context. By addressing technical, social, economic and financial barriers through contextually appropriate interventions, Africa’s existing building stock can be transformed to support decarbonization goals while preserving resources and creating economic opportunities. This approach aligns with continental sustainability objectives while acknowledging Africa’s specific developmental needs and constraints.