African Cities

Oct 17 2024 27 ep. 40 mins 5

African Cities Podcast artwork

Interviews, insights and in-depth discussions on urban development in Africa, from the African Cities Research Consortium.

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Lessons in resilience from the Maiduguri floods

Oct 17 2024 21 mins

On Tuesday 10 September 2024, Maiduguri city residents woke up to an unparalleled natural disaster: flooding that severely damaged over half of the city and resulted in the significant loss of lives. The five bridges that connect the city’s two sides overflowed, dividing it into two blocs that were unable to reach out to each other. Almost the entire lower portion of the city rem

Politics and progress in Accra with Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai

Oct 08 2024 41 mins

Accra is home to around 5 million people and plays a crucial role in Ghana’s national political landscape. Located on the coast of West Africa, development trajectories of the city are significantly influenced by national and global events.More than two thirds of the population are estimated to reside in informal settlements, with a great diversity of cultures and ethnicities acr

Advancing inclusive housing in Lagos

Aug 13 2024 55 mins

Two thirds of people living in Lagos reside in informal settlements, often in flood-prone areas and with limited access to basic services. As more and more people move into the city, the already high population density is rising. With more than 8,000 people per square kilometre in some parts – over 40 times Nigeria’s average – Lagos is struggling to meet the housing demands o

Urban reform coalitions: Foregrounding tacit knowledge with Lalitha Kamath

Mar 20 2024 56 mins

“No textbook can tell you how to do this.”ACRC defines inclusive urban reform coalitions as partnerships between government, experts and civil society organisations – often directly involving communities and groups most directly affected by the issues at hand – to drive sustainable urban transformation.In this episode, Lalitha Kamath – professor in the School of Habitat S

Action research and coalition building in Nairobi

Dec 05 2023 29 mins

“From the design of the project, from the design of the tools, to implementation, to data collection and everything, the community should be at the lead, at the forefront, speaking about their issues.”ACRC research in Nairobi has brought together communities, academics, county and government officials and the private sector, to come up with actions that support communities at t

Politics and informality in Kampala with Peter Kasaija

Nov 20 2023 37 mins

"Informal settlements in Kampala, and in other cities elsewhere across Africa, they are not homogenous, they're very heterogeneous. The kinds of pressures they face – social, environmental, political, economic pressures – they're very different." More than half of people living in African cities reside in informal settlements. Such settlements often share similar challenges –

Urban reform coalitions: The role of researchers

Sep 24 2023 51 mins

Urban reform coalitions can play a critical role in building inclusive, sustainable and productive cities. Made up of diverse stakeholders who collaborate to achieve common goals, these coalitions can work to strengthen relationships between disadvantaged groups and influential state/non-state actors. This collective action can be powerful in challenging socioeconomic inequality an

Unlocking better housing for Lagos

Aug 22 2023 30 mins

“The city keeps on growing every day. New infrastructure is being brought in every day. This means we can envisage more and more people coming into Lagos needing housing.”With more than an estimated 3,000 people arriving every day, Lagos is seen as a city of opportunity. But a rapidly increasing population means huge demand for housing in a city where around 70% of the populati

Strengthening service delivery processes in Kampala

Jul 25 2023 34 mins

"How can the interest and the commitment of those in charge of this city be galvanised, so that they see service delivery as important as an end in itself? For me, we need first to mobilise citizens."People living and working informally are often the most affected by shortfalls in service provision, impacting their access to education, healthcare, markets, sanitation, roads and mor

Urban reform coalitions: Kampala with Shuaib Lwasa

Jun 11 2023 36 mins

ACRC defines inclusive urban reform coalitions as partnerships between government, experts and civil society organisations – often directly involving communities and groups most directly affected by the issues at hand – to drive sustainable urban transformation.In this episode, Shuaib Lwasa, ACRC's capacity strengthening lead and professor of urban resilience and global develop