Latest News + Insights
From Margins to Models: Co-creating climate resilience in Lagos community
“From Margins to Models” – a new ACRC action research project being rolled out in the vulnerable coastal informal settlement of Ajegunle Ikorodu, Lagos – seeks to unlock the potential of communities to enhance climate resilience.
Urban economics in action: Addressing African cities’ challenges
Earlier this month, our CEO Professor Diana Mitlin participated at the 9th Urbanization and Development Conference, organised by the World Bank and the International Growth Centre in Cape Town.
Land in her name: Legal titles transforming the lives of women in Nigeria’s Borno State
Through the Systematic Land Titling Project, women across informal settlements in Maiduguri are now registering their land – and receiving statutory rights in their own names.
Systems change for water and sanitation in informal settlements: The Mukuru Special Planning Area
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 expanding water and sanitation services in Mukuru Kwa Reuben through the Special Planning Area, while assessing the outcomes of these interventions.
Moving Accra’s property tax debate forward
Property taxation could prove to be an important source of financing to pay for the infrastructure and public service investments that Accra requires, but implementing new taxes is always politically contentious and a technical challenge. Over three days, participants from ACRC cities, Ghanaian local and traditional authorities, civil society organisations, academia, professional bodies and the media came together to examine the design and administration of property taxation.
How can refugees be better integrated with Nairobi’s communities?
Nairobi City County is taking a significant step forward in fostering inclusive development with its newly launched Refugee Integration and Community Building Strategy (NCRIS). The launch immediately provides refugees and other migrants living in the city with access to public healthcare and city-run schools, and the ability to obtain a business license.
How is ACRC designed to drive urban reform?
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.
How could urban property tax reform improve infrastructure and services in African cities?
As part of ACRC’s work within the land and connectivity domain, we are organising a workshop focused on effective property tax reform. Running from 19 to 21 May 2025 in Accra, the workshop will examine what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to the design and administration of property taxation.
Understanding Nairobi through its waste collection communities
The incorporation of community knowledge into action research projects is central to ACRC’s approach in the implementation phase. In this blog post, we look at how the insights, experiences and perspectives of waste workers are helping to generate a more holistic understanding across the whole value chain, as well as benefiting the community researchers themselves.
Urban transformation and the trust triad
This is the second in a series of blog posts focusing on how urban reform happens, and where ACRC fits into change processes. This post explores urban transformation and the centrality of trust in politically engaged development programmes.
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