AFRICITIES - The African Mirror

Mar

2023

Nigeria’s cities are growing fast: family planning must be part of urban development plans

NIGERIA is rapidly urbanising, with more people living in urban areas than in rural communities. A recent World Bank estimate shows that 53% of the 213 million Nigerians live in urban areas. That’s projected to rise above 70% by 2050. Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city, already has over 15.9 million people. The country’s urban growth rate is 6% and the general population growth rate is about 2.4%. Author SUNDAY ADEDINI, Associate Professor, Federal University, Oye Ekiti Although urban areas are hubs for socioeconomic development, many large cities are unsafe and unhealthy. Unfortunately, infrastructure development and service delivery aren’t keeping pace with…

Feb

2023

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

DR Congo revamps its rail system as more African cities rethink public transit

AFRICITIES

THE Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the latest African country to initiate plans to refurbish its rail network after entering into a multi-million dollar project with the Africa Finance Corporation to renew Kinshasa's mass rail transit system. The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and Trans Connexion Congo (TCC) will jointly develop the rail network, covering a linear route of 300km of the railroad in Kinshasa. According to Amadu Wadda, Senior Director, Project Development & Technical Solutions at Africa Finance Corporation, "the project aims to rapidly industrialise DRC's capital city, Kinshasa, through its rail transportation system." "The project will support local…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Dakar’s clandestine taxis are essential for daily travel – but they’re illegal

AFRICITIES

PAPE SAKHO, GAELE LESTEVEN, MOMAR DIONGUE and PASCAL POCHET AFRICA'S major cities are growing at a rapid pace. In Dakar, Senegal’s capital, for instance, the population has almost doubled in 20 years, reaching 4 million inhabitants today. But in most metropolises, like Dakar, planning isn’t keeping up with the expansion. One example of this is the city’s transport system. Public transport plays a fundamental role in providing access to any city. However, in many cities, it’s lacking, particularly in areas of urban sprawl. This worsens the quality of life for people living in these areas, where there is a shortage…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s new Lekki port has doubled cargo capacity, but must not repeat previous failures

AFRICITIES

THREE-QUARTERS of the world is covered by water and up to 90% of world trade is seaborne. Seaports and shipping are critical to the conduct of global trade. Africa has relatively few natural harbours that offer shelter and are deep enough to take big vessels. Along the Atlantic coastline of West Africa, for instance, natural harbours exist only at Freetown and Lagos. Consequently, artificial ports have been carved out of lagoon and river ports, which dot the coastline from Morocco to South Africa. Considerable capital and engineering know-how have been applied since the late nineteenth century to make African ports…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Ghana digitised its address system: its failure offers lessons to other African countries creating smart cities

AFRICITIES

LOUIS KUSI FRIMPONG, MATTHEW ABUNYEWAH, SETH ASARE OKYERE and STEPHEN KOFI DIKO SMART urbanism is about using digital technologies to address urban problems. Across the continent, digital technologies and smart initiatives have been applied in myriad ways, including crime control, urban planning and traffic management. It hasn’t always worked, however. Sometimes these initiatives have failed because the technologies weren’t well integrated into the local context. Or policies didn’t pay attention to social realities and technical requirements. Ghana presents one such example. The country launched a smart initiative in 2017: a digital system to give every urban property an address. It’s…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Lagos gets a new elevated rail network

AFRICITIES

BIRD STORY AGENCY THE first phase of a light rail system that is set to transform commuting in Nigeria's economic capital, has been commissioned. The Blue Line project in Lagos is a 27-kilometre rail system that upon completion is expected to carry more than 500,000 passengers. The first phase traverses five stations covering a distance of 13 kilometres and has the capacity to move 250,000 passengers daily. The state government said that it had taken delivery of three sets of wagons that will be used forpassenger operations. “Over the last two decades, that masterplan has been faithfully implemented by successive…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Wildlife in concrete jungles: These two African cities are home to a thriving wildlife population

AFRICITIES

LUCY GITHUGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY KENYA, the most famous country in Eastern Africa, was named the world’s leading Safari destination for 2021 by the World Travel Awards for the seventh year in a row. With over 50 national parks and game reserves, the country’s vast wildlife preserves have remained a competitive destination among domestic and international tourists. Unbeknownst to many, two of Kenya's cities, Nakuru and Nairobi, offer a unique package in the nation's Safari tourism package. Both cities have national parks sitting right on their doorsteps. Nairobi National Park is the only national park in the world located within…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Ghana’s informal residents show how social innovation can solve urban challenges

AFRICITIES

LOCAL governments across the world have turned to what is called “urban innovation” in a bid to manage urban problems. The term refers to the use of smart data collection, digital infrastructure facilities and services that meet intertwined urban challenges. These include housing, water, sanitation and electricity provision. But policy-making and research focus on innovations in the developed world. What’s not been explored are the practical ways people find to live in poor, marginalised, informal and crowded urban areas. For example, how they manage water and sanitation provision and maintenance. Authors SETH ASARE OKYERE, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Arizona…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Nairobi is bustling and booming

AFRICITIES

MBUGUA NG'ANG'A, BIRD STORY AGENCY THE Waiyaki Way-Raphta Road roundabout in Westlands is a microcosm of the contradictions that define Nairobi's sustainable development narrative. Motorists driving down into the city stop cruising on the four-lane highway as they approach the busy intersection. Four lanes shrink to two on the off-ramp leading to Raphta Road but then traffic suddenly comes to halt because part of the road has been colonised by mutatus, Nairobi's infamous public transport minivans. It takes the constant intervention of traffic police to ensure that traffic flows smoothly. Above the honking and frayed nerves, the Nairobi Expressway stretches…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

New wealth stirs Dubai-style boom in Zanzibar

AFRICITIES

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY SHINY - and green - new towers are coming to Zanzibar as the semi-autonomous island sets out to lure investment and luxury travellers to its shores and build its economy beyond the tourism that has been a lifeline for decades. The Burj Zanzibar, the world’s tallest green building, is the latest headline-grabbing and record-setting project earmarked for construction on the island. The announcement comes a little over a year after the construction of the Zanzibar Domino Commercial Tower, a spiralling skyscraper on a man-made island off the west coast of the archipelago, was announced. In…