Latest News + Insights
Securing the right to adequate housing in African cities
A lack of adequate housing is one of the most prominent challenges facing urban Africa. Housing – whether in the form of informal or formal dwellings – is a basic human right, yet remains only an aspiration for most of Africa’s urban population.
Grant awarded for land value study in Kigali
We are pleased to announce that ACRC postdoc Matthew Sharp has been awarded a Young Researcher’s Grant by the International Growth Centre, worth £7,950.
Postdoc Profile: Elizabeth Dessie
Elizabeth Dessie talks about her research background, her interest in rural–urban youth migration and how people experience urban life differently, and why she is excited to be a part of ACRC.
Urban Action Lab founder Shuaib Lwasa joins ACRC
We are delighted to welcome Shuaib Lwasa, founder of the Urban Action Lab at Makerere University, to the African Cities Research Consortium’s senior management team.
Upgrading informal settlements in African cities
In most African cities, more than half of the population live in informal settlements. Residents of such settlements often lack basic services and infrastructure, also facing unsafe housing and insecure tenure.
Interrogating gender inequalities in African cities
A number of core themes cut across different elements of the African Cities conceptual framework, including climate change, financing and gender. Due to their centrality in the political economy of urban development in Africa, these issues will be subject to explicit investigation and analysis. For International Women’s Day, we’re outlining how we’re approaching gender as a crosscutting theme in our research.
The challenges of governing Lagos, the city that keeps growing
From its historical origins as a fishing village and the site of a pepper farm, to today’s bustling metropolis, Lagos has evolved into a complex agglomeration of people, settlements and vested interests.
The political economy of urban reform in Africa: Call for papers
The African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) will convene a panel at this year’s Development Studies Association Conference, exploring new research on the political economy of urban reform in African cities.
Addis Ababa yet to meet the needs of residents: What has to change
With an estimated population of more than 3.7 million people, Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is home to about a quarter of Ethiopia’s urban population. The city generates well above 29% of Ethiopia’s urban GDP and 20% of national urban employment.
Why urban poverty in sub-Saharan Africa needs more attention
The challenges facing urban economies in sub-Saharan Africa are considerable. Yet while development economics is a well-established field, relatively little attention has been paid to urban economies in the global South.
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