African Cities

African Cities Research Consortium
  • 5.0 (2)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES

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

  1. Fortifying food systems in Lagos

    9 OCT

    Fortifying food systems in Lagos

    As in many cities worldwide, food production and management in Lagos is hugely complex – involving many different actors, shaped by various political dynamics and deeply intertwined with many other urban systems. With around 80% of food consumed in Lagos brought in from outside the city, the average household faces numerous challenges to getting food onto the table. Conflicts in other parts of Nigeria can cause difficulties with transportation, which then impacts costs and produce quality. Politics within the food distribution value chain can also complicate food access, with different ethnic and gender dynamics in some city markets affecting food prices and availability. Food waste is another key issue, with efforts to manage household organic waste lagging behind similar attempts to tackle plastic waste in the city. Yet, as Ismail Ibraheem, Taibat Lawanson, Folasade Adeboyejo and Deji Akinpelu discuss in this podcast episode, there are opportunities for improvements across the food system in Lagos, which could help make the city healthier and more liveable. From increasing local food production, as outlined in the Lagos State government’s agricultural roadmap, to building reform coalitions and implementing policies to strengthen the food waste value chain, they explore possible ways forward to enhance food systems and security in the city. > Read more in ACRC’s Lagos city report Ismail Ibraheem is director of International Relations, Partnership and Prospects (IRPP) at the University of Lagos and ACRC’s uptake director. Taibat Lawanson is professor of urban management and governance at the University of Lagos, Leverhulme professor of planning and heritage at the University of Liverpool and was the Lagos city lead for ACRC’s foundation phase research. Folasade Adeboyejo is a PhD student at the University of Plymouth Deji Akinpelu is co-founder of Rethinking Cities, an advocacy group working on urban development issues in Lagos, and part of the ACRC Lagos uptake team. ---- Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer Sounds: Zapsplat This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole. Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium: > Website > E-news > Bluesky > LinkedIn > YouTube > X (Twitter)

    48 min
  2. Understanding urban property tax with Samuel B Biitir

    16 MAY

    Understanding urban property tax with Samuel B Biitir

    As urbanisation accelerates across Africa, cities are under growing pressure to deliver essential infrastructure and public services – such as water, sanitation, drainage and electricity. Yet this expanding responsibility is unfolding in a context where sustainable funding and reliable financing mechanisms remain limited or entirely absent, leaving many local governments struggling to meet rising demands. So, how can African cities manage their expanding expenditure responsibilities, particularly in the face of persistent funding shortfalls? One potential solution lies in property taxation – a levy applied to the ownership, transfer or occupation of land and physical property. Ahead of an upcoming ACRC workshop in Accra, Chris Jordan is joined by Samuel B Biitir for a conversation around the challenges and opportunities of urban property taxation in African cities. With a particular focus on the Accra context, they discuss how property taxation could help to improve essential urban infrastructure and services, the need for political buy-in, the potential benefits and blockages posed by digitalisation, and the importance of transparency when it comes to securing citizen support. > Read more about ACRC’s urban property tax workshop in Accra Samuel B Biitir is a senior lecturer in the Department of Land Management at SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, and led ACRC's land and connectivity domain research in Accra. Chris Jordan is communications and impact manager for the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester, and ACRC's communications manager. ---- Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer Sounds: Zapsplat This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole. Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium: > Website > E-news > Bluesky > LinkedIn > YouTube > X (Twitter)

    31 min
  3. Action research spotlight: Healthy school meals in Nairobi

    17 MAR

    Action research spotlight: Healthy school meals in Nairobi

    School feeding programmes are a vital safety net for vulnerable children, providing them with healthy and nutritious meals that they might otherwise miss out on. Such initiatives are not new and have run in Kenya in different forms for decades; in Nairobi, for example, the county government has an existing school feeding programme in public schools. But the current programme does not apply to informal private schools, meaning that the majority of children living in the city’s informal settlements have been excluded from the government initiative. An ACRC action research project aims to fill this gap. In this episode, Veronica Mwangi, researcher and lecturer of economic geography at the University of Nairobi, joins Chris Jordan to talk about the issue of healthy diets and nutrition in African cities – particularly among children living in Nairobi’s informal settlements. They discuss the various economic, market-related and household-level factors hindering access to nutritious diets in these settlements – such as low incomes, high food prices and cultural practices – highlighting malnutrition and food insecurity as major concerns. They explore the potential that expanding the existing school feeding programme has to address these issues and improve the nutrition of children living in informal settlements, outlining how the action research team is working closely with the community to co-create an affordable, sustainable school feeding model that can be rolled out across informal schools. > Read more about ACRC’s school feeding programme action research project Veronica Mwangi is a researcher and lecturer of economic geography in the Department of Geography, Population and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi. Chris Jordan is communications and impact manager for the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester, and ACRC's communications manager. ---- Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer Sounds: Zapsplat This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole. Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium: > Website > E-news > Bluesky > LinkedIn > YouTube > X (Twitter)

    32 min
  4. Why do land brokers matter in African cities?

    10 JAN

    Why do land brokers matter in African cities?

    Recently published ACRC research, exploring land and connectivity in African cities, found “land brokers” to be significant players within urban land markets. In Mogadishu, Somalia and Kampala, Uganda in particular, the research found that brokers play a prominent role in influencing land dynamics in the cities – acting as intermediaries in transactions and often directly impacting land prices. In this episode, ACRC’s land and connectivity domain lead Tom Goodfellow is joined by Abdifatah Tahir from Mogadishu and Eria Serwajja and Muhamed Lunyago from Kampala for a conversation around the role of land brokers in urban land markets in African cities. They discuss the key role that brokers play in connecting buyers with sellers and facilitating transactions, along with the influence they have over land prices. Highlighting issues that arose in the ACRC research, they also talk about concerns around legitimacy, trust and transparency within brokers’ activities, land value discrepancies, and the need for regulation. > Read more in ACRC's land and connectivity domain report Tom Goodfellow is professor of urban studies and international development at the University of Sheffield and co-led ACRC's land and connectivity domain research. Abdifatah Tahir is a research fellow at the University of Sheffield and was formerly a postdoctoral research fellow with ACRC, working on the land and connectivity domain team in Mogadishu. Eria Serwajja is a lecturer in the department of development studies of Makerere University in Uganda and was part of the ACRC land and connectivity domain team in Kampala. Muhamed Lunyago is a PhD fellow at the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) at Makerere University in Uganda and was part of the ACRC land and connectivity domain team in Kampala. ---- Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer Sounds: Zapsplat This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole. Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium: > Website > E-news > Bluesky > LinkedIn > YouTube > X (Twitter)

    52 min
  5. Lessons in resilience from the Maiduguri floods

    18/10/2024

    Lessons in resilience from the Maiduguri floods

    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 remained under water for over two weeks before the flood waters began to recede. The Alau Dam – situated a few kilometres away from Maiduguri city – collapsed, leading to a flood that killed an estimated 77 people and displaced 300,000. As a city still recovering from the scourge of the Boko Haram insurgency, the flood has further compounded the economic and social challenges that city residents were already facing. The victims were faced with challenges of health care, infrastructural needs, mental health and psychosocial support needs, shelter and food. In this podcast episode, Chris Jordan speaks to Babakura Bukar about the devastation caused by the floods, the factors contributing to the dam collapse and how such a disaster could be avoided in the future. > Read more in ACRC’s Maiduguri city report Babakura Bukar was ACRC's uptake lead for Maiduguri in the foundation phase of the programme. Chris Jordan is communications and impact manager for the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester, and ACRC's communications manager. ---- Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer Sounds: Zapsplat This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole. Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium: > Website > E-news > Bluesky > LinkedIn > YouTube > X (Twitter)

    22 min
  6. Politics and progress in Accra with Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai

    09/10/2024

    Politics and progress in Accra with Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai

    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 across communities. Many of these areas have no or unreliable access to essential services including water, electricity and sanitation, and significant levels of inequality exist among different neighbourhoods. In this episode, Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai joins Chris Jordan to talk about the major findings from ACRC’s urban development research in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. He discusses how the city has changed over the last 25 years, including shifting geographical boundaries, along with the slow progress being made towards addressing Accra’s significant housing deficit and improving service delivery in disadvantaged areas. He notes how attitudes towards informal settlement residents and their needs are slowly changing, with some evidence to suggest that national and city elites are making efforts to enhance basic services in settlements like Old Fadama. Delving into insights from the city research into the political dynamics at play in Accra, he also highlights the importance of the city to national elites – largely due to its significant urban population and position as a swing voting city – and the need for greater cooperation and capacity building among city authorities to drive meaningful urban transformation. > Read more in ACRC’s Accra city report Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai is an associate professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Ghana Business School, an honorary research fellow at the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester and ACRC's Accra city lead. Chris Jordan is communications and impact manager for the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester, and ACRC's communications manager. ---- Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer Sounds: Zapsplat This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole. Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium: > Website > E-news > Bluesky > LinkedIn > YouTube > X (Twitter)

    42 min
  7. Advancing inclusive housing in Lagos

    14/08/2024

    Advancing inclusive housing in Lagos

    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 of its ever-expanding population. ACRC research highlights a lack of attention on improving the climate resilience of Lagos at the community and city levels. Additionally, it draws attention to major issues with the rental sector, inadequate provision for gendered housing access and challenges around high construction costs. So, what can be done to increase housing provision in Lagos, and ensure all residents have access to safe, affordable, serviced accommodation? In this podcast episode, ACRC’s uptake director Ismail Ibraheem is joined by Deji Akinpelu, Lookman Oshodi and Basirat Oyalowo for a conversation around housing challenges in Lagos and how inclusive, affordable and climate-resilient housing solutions might be implemented. They discuss the need for a social approach to housing provision, why transformation must be inclusive of vulnerable populations and how cooperative societies can play a key part in providing accessible housing financing for disadvantaged groups. > Read more in ACRC’s housing domain report Ismail Ibraheem is director of International Relations, Partnership and Prospects (IRPP) at the University of Lagos and ACRC’s uptake director. Deji Akinpelu is co-founder of Rethinking Cities, an advocacy group working on urban development issues in Lagos. Lookman Oshodi is project director at Arctic Infrastructure in Lagos, which focuses on climate-resilient infrastructure to improve the functioning of urban systems. Basirat Oyalowo is a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos in the Department of Estate Management and was the housing domain lead for ACRC’s foundation phase research in Lagos. ---- Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer Sounds: Zapsplat This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole. Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium: > Website > E-news > Bluesky > LinkedIn > YouTube > X (Twitter)

    55 min
  8. Urban reform coalitions: Foregrounding tacit knowledge with Lalitha Kamath

    20/03/2024

    Urban reform coalitions: Foregrounding tacit knowledge with Lalitha Kamath

    “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 Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai – joins Ezana Haddis Weldeghebrael for a conversation about the transformative potential of urban reform coalitions and the need to value lived experience. Talking about how she became interested in governance coalitions during her PhD, Lalitha argues that the value of coalitions lies in the process of self-organising itself – not just the material outcomes. She highlights how inclusive coalitions can serve to visibilise diverse experiences of urban spaces and calls for a reshaping of the politics of expertise. Lalitha Kamath is an urban planner and policy analyst, and currently teaches in the Centre for Urban Policy and Governance, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Ezana Haddis Weldeghebrael is a research fellow in the international development department at the University of Birmingham and an honorary fellow at The University of Manchester. He was previously a postdoctoral research fellow at the African Cities Research Consortium. Further reading Lalitha Kamath | Coalitions and urban transformation: Contributions and limitsDiana Mitlin | The contribution of reform coalitions to inclusion and equity: lessons from urban social movements ---- Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer Sounds: Zapsplat This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole. Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium: > Website > E-news > Bluesky > LinkedIn > YouTube > X (Twitter)

    57 min
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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    African Cities Research Consortium
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 African Cities
  • Show Website
    African Cities

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