African Cities
Episodes
Unpacking housing challenges in African cities
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The housing challenge in African cities is far from consistent. With differing historical, sociopolitical and economic contexts, cities are seeing urb...
Fortifying food systems in Lagos
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As in many cities worldwide, food production and management in Lagos is hugely complex – involving many different actors, shaped by various politica...
Understanding urban property tax with Samuel B Biitir
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As urbanisation accelerates across Africa, cities are under growing pressure to deliver essential infrastructure and public services – such as water...
Action research spotlight: Healthy school meals in Nairobi
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
School feeding programmes are a vital safety net for vulnerable children, providing them with healthy and nutritious meals that they might otherwise m...
Why do land brokers matter in African cities?
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Recently published ACRC research, exploring land and connectivity in African cities, found “land brokers” to be significant players within urban l...
Lessons in resilience from the Maiduguri floods
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday 10 September 2024, Maiduguri city residents woke up to an unparalleled natural disaster: flooding that severely damaged over half of the ci...
Politics and progress in Accra with Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, deve...
Advancing inclusive housing in Lagos
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Urban reform coalitions: Foregrounding tacit knowledge with Lalitha Kamath
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“No textbook can tell you how to do this.”ACRC defines inclusive urban reform coalitions as partnerships between government, experts and civil soc...
Action research and coalition building in Nairobi
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“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 ...
Politics and informality in Kampala with Peter Kasaija
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Informal settlements in Kampala, and in other cities elsewhere across Africa, they are not homogenous, they're very heterogeneous. The kind...
Urban reform coalitions: The role of researchers
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Urban reform coalitions can play a critical role in building inclusive, sustainable and productive cities. Made up of diverse stakeholders who collabo...
Unlocking better housing for Lagos
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“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 ...
Strengthening service delivery processes in Kampala
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"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 ...
Urban reform coalitions: Kampala with Shuaib Lwasa
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
ACRC defines inclusive urban reform coalitions as partnerships between government, experts and civil society organisations – often directly involvin...
Urban reform coalitions: Freetown with Joseph Macarthy
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
ACRC defines inclusive urban reform coalitions as partnerships between government, experts and civil society organisations – often directly involvin...
Urban politics and power in Mogadishu
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the capital and the seat of the Somali government, Mogadishu has undergone a slow process of urban recovery over the course of the past decade. The...
Urban reform coalitions: Harare with George Masimba
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
ACRC defines inclusive urban reform coalitions as partnerships between government, experts and civil society organisations – often directly involvin...
Inclusive urban reform coalitions with Diana Mitlin
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"We really see these reform coalitions as very key. They're key to nurturing new ideas, they're key to articulating ideas that perhaps ...
Household microenterprises with Selina Pasirayi and Rollins Chitika
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“This is kind of a hub, if you will, that's bringing in goods and services to the wider group of people in the informal settlements. And you ca...
Safety and security in Nairobi with Wangui Kimari
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Beyond patrolling, beyond the police, beyond anti-terror police activities which come from a global war on terror, what are people doing every d...
Community-led planning and transformation with Charity Mumbi and Jane Wairutu
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"It's not our data as SDI, it's not ACRC data, it's not their data. It's the community's data. So you have to have that ...
Migration, politics and urban governance in Lagos
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"Lagos is a city of migrants… migrants are shaping the city in ways that are evolving per day. We are where we are now as a city through the ac...
Africa's urbanisation dynamics with Philipp Heinrigs
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What opportunities does urbanisation present for people living in African cities? How much does it really contribute to the economy? And what wider ad...
Community-led research with Eva Muchiri and Nicera Wanjiru
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"A project comes, a project leaves. The community will always remain. But now, what do you leave in that community?"In this episode, Miriam ...
Navigating Freetown's housing challenges
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is ACRC’s research in Freetown all about? How does housing connect with land, youth employment and the rising costs of imported materials? How ...
Energy and infrastructure with Amani Abou-Zeid
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amani Abou-Zeid – African Union Commissioner in charge of infrastructure, energy and ICT – talks to ACRC's city of systems l...
Decolonising knowledge with Ola Uduku and Martin Atela
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since the start of the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), we’ve been interested in trying to create more equitable partnerships and processe...
Gender equity with Rachel Tolhurst
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Despite gender equality policies at the national level in many African countries, there are persistent gender-based disparities, inequalities and excl...
Knowledge co-production with George Masimba and Teurai Nyamangara
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Collaborations between academia and grassroots organisations are not without tensions and power imbalances. For low-income urban communities, engaging...
Urban planning with Shuaib Lwasa
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Urban Action Lab founder Shuaib Lwasa talks to ACRC’s co-research director Seth Schindler about "unlearning" mainstream u...
Informal settlements with Joseph Muturi
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In most African cities, more than half of the population live in informal settlements. Residents often lack basic services and infrastructure, also fa...