African Cities Research Consortium

Podcast: Fortifying food systems in Lagos - ACRC Ismail Ibraheem, Taibat Lawanson, Folasade Adeboyejo and Deji Akinpelu discuss opportunities for improvements across the food system in Lagos, which could help make the city healthier and more liveabl...

Tune in to hear about potential ways forward to enhance food systems and security in the city 👇

www.african-cities.org/podcast-fort...

They discuss policy shifts and initiatives that could help make the city healthier and more liveable – from increasing local food production, to building reform coalitions and implementing policies to bolster the food waste value chain.

🎙️What opportunities exist for strengthening food systems in Lagos?

This is the focus of our latest podcast conversation between Ismail Ibraheem, Taibat Lawanson, Folasade Adeboyejo and Deji Akinpelu.

New episode out now! A great listen for researchers, students, and advocates for knowledge coproduction

Featuring Diana Mitlin, Melanie Lombard, myself & @goodfellowtom.bsky.social

@coprofutures.bsky.social @africancities.bsky.social @sheffielduni.bsky.social @unishefplayer.bsky.social

In Sheffield - in person event on 18th September - register below

@africancities.bsky.social @goodfellowtom.bsky.social @itsbethperry.bsky.social

sheffield.ac.uk/urban-instit...

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Webinar - Informal Settlements: Communities Fight for Rights and Dignity. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting... How can legal empowerment strategies transform life in informal settlements and put residents at the center of justice and development? Join us for the launch of "Legal Empowerment in Informal Settle...

Join the book launch for "Legal Empowerment in Informal Settlements: Grassroots Experiences in the Global South" – exploring community-led justice strategies that advance the human rights of residents in informal settlements.

📆 17 September
🕐 1pm BST
💻 us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Working Paper 32 - ACRC Lagos: City report | Taibat Lawanson, Lindsay Sawyer and Damilola Olalekan

Dive into the full report 👇

www.african-cities.org/publications...

New research: Strengthening urban systems, services and institutions in Lagos - ACRC A newly published ACRC report by Taibat Lawanson, Lindsay Sawyer and Damilola Olalekan explores the complex dynamics of contested political systems and their impact on the people of Lagos.

Read the summary blog post 👇

www.african-cities.org/new-research...

A new ACRC report explores the complex dynamics of contested political systems and their impact on the people of Lagos.

It integrates political settlements analysis, city system mapping and domain studies to provide a comprehensive overview of the city’s multifaceted urban development landscape.

While rapid urbanisation has vastly outstripped the state’s capacity to provide adequate infrastructure, Lagos’s position as the commercial hub and economic powerhouse of Nigeria presents several development opportunities – despite its challenges.

Graphic card showing map of Africa with Lagos (Nigeria) marked, and text reading "Lagos, Nigeria".

NEW | Lagos: City report

Lagos is one of the fastest-growing cities globally, with a population of between 18 and 20 million and an annual growth rate of 6%.

What drives land value change in African cities? Unlocking value and the prospects for progressive reform - ACRC The urgency of developing more effective mechanisms to capture rising land values for urban infrastructure and services is now widely acknowledged. It is also accepted that this is highly challenging.

📍 What really drives land value change in African cities?

@goodfellowtom.bsky.social explores how findings from our land and connectivity research challenge some of the dominant notions on which ideas of value capture are based 👇
www.african-cities.org/what-drives-...

Working Paper 31 - ACRC Addis Ababa: City report | Tegegne Gebre-Egziabher

Read the full Addis Ababa city report 👇

www.african-cities.org/publications...

New research: Advancing urban reform opportunities in Addis Ababa - ACRC A new ACRC report, led by Tegegne Gebre-Egziabher, uncovers the interplay of politics, systems and urban development in the fast-growing capital city, shining a light on the challenges facing resident...

Providing an overview of Addis Ababa’s complex and contested urban development landscape, the report highlights pertinent development challenges facing city residents and presents potential interventions to address them.

Read our blog post for a summary 👇

www.african-cities.org/new-research...

The report brings together analysis from research reports on political settlements and city systems, along with studies on three urban development domains:

🏠 housing
📈 structural transformation
✍️ youth and capability development

Graphic card showing map of Africa with Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) marked, and text reading "Addis Ababa, Ethiopia".

NEW | Addis Ababa: City report

Home to a population of more than 4 million, Addis Ababa is expanding at a rate of 3.8% per year.

A new ACRC report uncovers the interplay of politics, systems and urban development in the fast-growing capital city.

Creating the conditions for change in Mathare informal settlement, Nairobi - ACRC SDI Kenya, through ACRC, is aiming to co-develop solutions with Mathare community members, by devising a holistic waste management system in the area.

Read more about how the project aims to establish Mathare as a model for scalable, sustainable and community-driven waste management systems in this blog post from Michelle Koyaro 👇

www.african-cities.org/creating-the...

SDI Kenya is leading an ACRC action research project aimed at co-developing solutions with Mathare community members, to devise a holistic waste management system. It will aim to connect 3 main thematic areas:

1️⃣ Solid waste management
2️⃣ Sewer + liquid waste infrastructure
3️⃣ Productive public spaces

Mathare's waste management system is highly fragmented, with informalities throughout the value chain.

Numerous investments aimed at improving living conditions in Mathare have largely been unsuccessful in bringing about meaningful change.

A community planning meeting in Mathare, Nairobi. Credit: Know Your City TV Kenya

NEW | Creating the conditions for change in Mathare informal settlement

Like many large informal settlements, Mathare in Nairobi faces many challenges, including the poor management of waste, leading to severe health, environmental and infrastructural consequences.

How does action research build community and state capabilities? - ACRC This is the fourth in a series of blog posts focusing on how urban reform happens, and where ACRC fits into change processes. This post takes a closer look at how ACRC is helping build community capab...

Read the blog post for the next three stages and to learn more about ACRC's capability development approach 👇

www.african-cities.org/how-does-act...

Through the lens of an action research project that ACRC has been supporting in Maiduguri, Diana outlines six key stages of building community capabilities, including:

1️⃣ working out the change that is needed
2️⃣ broader engagement with the proposed solution
3️⃣ gaining support from professionals

NEW | How does action research build community and state capabilities?

The fourth blog post in our urban transformation series from Diana Mitlin explores how ACRC is helping build community capabilities to address urban challenges, via engaged and focused real-time learning.

Systems change for water and sanitation in informal settlements: The Mukuru Special Planning Area - ACRC The Mukuru Special Planning Area in Nairobi is home to a population of about 400,000. Akiba Mashinani Trust has partnered with ACRC to document the methodologies, systems and practices employed in exp...

The partnership also seeks to identify and address critical financing gaps, infrastructure deficiencies, community organisation challenges, technical limitations and policy barriers that hinder the effectiveness of ongoing efforts.

Read more 👇
www.african-cities.org/systems-chan...

Now, Akiba Mashinani Trust (AMT) has partnered with ACRC to document the expansion of water and sanitation services in Mukuru Kwa Reuben through the Special Planning Area, while comprehensively assessing the outcomes of these interventions.

Improvements have been made – including the installation of pre-paid water dispensers and simplified sewer systems.

But despite this progress, approximately 80% of residents still do not have plot-level toilets connected to the sewer system.

To establish more sustainable service delivery mechanisms, in 2017, the Nairobi City County Government declared Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Kwa Reuben and Viwandani a Special Planning Area.

This initiated the development and implementation of a Mukuru Integrated Development Plan (MIDP).

Informal suppliers dominate water and sanitation services in Mukuru.

💧 Water tends to be distributed by vendors through kiosks or delivered door-to-door using handcarts.

🚽 Sanitation is mostly characterised by pit latrines that fill up quickly and are manually emptied.

Polluted waterway in Mukuru Kwa Reuben.

The Mukuru Special Planning Area in Nairobi is home to a population of about 400,000.

Around 100,560 households occupy 689 acres of land, with the settlement mainly comprising temporary structures made of corrugated iron, and many families residing in 9m² single-room dwellings.

How is ACRC designed to drive urban reform? - ACRC This is the third in a series of blog posts focusing on how urban reform happens, and where ACRC fits into change processes. This post takes a closer look at how ACRC adds value to urban reform.

Learn more about the set up and added value of ACRC below... 👇

...and watch out for the final blog post in this series, outlining ways that donors can best support urban reform processes.

www.african-cities.org/how-is-acrc-...