Latest News + Insights
From the inside out: Why Africa’s development must be built with its people
On Wednesday 6 May, ACRC colleagues met with the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Presidential Library in Abeokuta. The meeting was timely and insightful, and it turned out to be far more than a courtesy visit.
New research: What does progress look like for household microenterprises in African cities?
A new paper, led by Stephen Gelb, outlines key findings from ACRC’s neighbourhood and district economic development domain research, which looked at HMEs in five African cities: Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Lilongwe, Malawi; and Harare, Zimbabwe.
Insights from the World Urban Forum 13: Co-producing knowledge for climate-resilient African cities
African cities are changing fast. They are expanding, absorbing new populations, confronting climate risks, and struggling with long-standing gaps in housing, infrastructure, health, sanitation and basic services. This was the central message of a WUF13 Urban Library session convened by the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, University of Lagos.
Reflections from the ACRC Kampala cross-project learning workshop
ACRC held a cross-project learning workshop in Kampala during the last week of April 2026., bringing together the Kampala city team, representatives from the action research projects, and members of the senior management and central uptake teams.
Navigating different approaches to urban reform in Harare
Urban reform in Harare is approached by the ACRC action research team from the recognition that the city is shaped less by formal plans and policies than by everyday practices of negotiation, self-provisioning and incremental adaptation across multiple systems.
What is urban development? Reflections from Zimbabwe and Harare
“Urban development” is a term that is widely used but rarely unpacked. It often evokes images of new roads, housing estates and expanding city skylines. Yet, when viewed from the perspective of cities like Harare, urban development is far more complex, contested and dynamic than conventional definitions suggest.
Is knowledge power? Reflections on water, sanitation and survival in informal settlements
When the ACRC Lagos water and sanitation (WASH) team visited Mukuru in Nairobi, for a learning exchange, we carried a simple question: how do informal settlements secure dignified water and sanitation access in cities that often overlook them?
From Mukuru to Okerube: Reflections from the Nairobi–Lagos WASH exchange
In early February, the Akiba Mashinani Trust (AMT) led a nine-person delegation from Nairobi for a weeklong learning exchange visit to Okerube informal settlement in Lagos.
Podcast: Building community-driven WASH solutions in Lagos
In the informal settlement of Okerube in Lagos, the community faces significant challenges in accessing clean water and sanitation, which disproportionately impact women and children. An ACRC action research project is aiming to address these issues through establishing a sustainable, community-driven social enterprise model.
Nairobi to Naija: Inclusive service delivery in African cities is not a pipe dream
One of the less visible but highly impactful aspects of the ACRC programme is the opportunity for cross-learning that it presents for urban development researchers, practitioners and policymakers working in different city contexts. This was precisely the case for an ACRC Lagos delegation that went to Nairobi on a learning visit in December 2025.
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