The growing literature on the politics of development in African cities has made significant advances in recent years, drawing attention to the often-unexpected ways in which the politics of democratisation, clientelism and ethnicity are playing out within specific urban contexts and how this shapes prospects for development therein.

Recent political economy analysis by ACRC in 12 African cities has sought to contribute to this literature by exploring the potential of political settlements analysis to add value to these and other debates through its emphasis on the interaction of formal and informal institutions and the distribution of power in society.

A webinar, hosted by The University of Manchester’s Global Urban Futures research group in September 2024, drew on a four-city study undertaken by ACRC researchers to explore how development processes in informal settlements in Accra (Ghana), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Kampala (Uganda) are shaped by their differing political settlements.

We find that the approach does offer some comparative traction, particularly in terms of which actors and structures hold power within and around informal settlements, and the level of engagement between national political actors and informal settlements, and how this shapes issues of tenure security and the provision of goods. Our within-case analysis problematises some of the claims made in the literature on political clientelism and finds that the influence of ethnicity is contingent on how political power is instrumentalised by ruling elites.

We agree with Holland (2016) that “forbearance” offers a useful way of capturing not only the important legal dimensions of political informality but also by offering a typology that goes beyond a focus on the use of clientelism to co-opt low-income communities. It captures both how the wealthy/politically connected are benefitting from current approaches to urban governance and development and also the conditions under which non-clientelist forms of political engagement with urban citizens might start to emerge in African cities.

Panellists:

  • Sam Hickey (overview)
  • Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai (Accra)
  • Braima Koroma (Freetown)
  • McDonald Lewanika (Harare)
  • Peter Kasaija (Kampala)

Chair:

  • Tom Gillespie (Global Development Institute, The University of Manchester)

Watch the full webinar recording below.

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Header photo credit: Random Institute / Unsplash. An informal settlement in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Note: This article presents the views of the author featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

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