Latest News + Insights
What can FCDO and other donors learn from ACRC’s approach to development?
This is the fifth in a series of blog posts focusing on how urban reform happens, and where ACRC fits into change processes. This post outlines what donors can learn from ACRC’s approach to development.
New research: Strengthening urban systems, services and institutions in Lagos
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.
Improving access to information and development opportunities for young people in Kampala
Although precise data on the number of youth living in the capital city Kampala’s informal settlements is lacking, voting patterns indicate a high concentration of young people who have consistently influenced electoral outcomes in the city. Beyond politics, Kampala’s youth also play a central role in Uganda’s economic development as key consumers and contributors to the informal and formal sectors.
What drives land value change in African cities? Unlocking value and the prospects for progressive reform
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.
New research: Advancing urban reform opportunities in Addis Ababa
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 residents and potential pathways forward.
Legal empowerment in informal settlements: New open access book
The International Development Research Centre, Canada, and the Grassroots Justice Network are excited to announce a new open access volume: Legal Empowerment in Informal Settlements: Grassroots Experiences in the Global South. One chapter is co-authored by ACRC’s Smith Ouma, highlighting the role of legal empowerment in establishing the Mukuru Special Planning Area in Nairobi.
When policy follows practice: Reflections from Nairobi’s Water and Sanitation Policy workshop
The ACRC Nairobi team had the privilege of joining residents, government officials, engineers, public health experts and other stakeholders at a recent Water and Sanitation Policy workshop for Nairobi’s informal settlements.
New research: Unearthing the realities of food security in Bukavu
A new ACRC working paper explores the complex challenges that a population explosion, mineral rush and conflict pose to food security and access to healthy diets in Bukavu, and identify potential paths forward for the city.
Unlocking land rights for communities in Mathare, Nairobi
ACRC has partnered with Strathmore University and Akiba Mashinani Trust to equip the residents of Mathare with the tools and strategies they need to secure greater recognition of their land tenure.
Transforming informal settlements in Lagos through community-driven WASH innovation: The Okerube project
The “Informal Settlements as Spaces of Transformative Agency” project focuses on the Okerube community in Lagos to challenge dominant narratives and demonstrate how bottom-up, community-led governance models can deliver sustainable and inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) solutions in informal urban settlements.
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