AFRICITIES - The African Mirror

Jan

21

2023

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

09

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

04

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

01

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

19

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

25

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

19

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…

Oct

19

2022

By The African Mirror

Blaming poor labour conditions in Ghana’s transport sector on ride-hailing companies misses the deeper issues

AFRICITIES

RIDE-HAILING services like Uber and Lyft have become ubiquitous in many parts of the world over the past decade. Criticism of their business model has also become commonplace: ride-hailing companies are frequently accused of destroying traditional taxi businesses, undermining wages, and creating the digital equivalent of sweatshops. Though many of the complaints have emanated from wealthier countries in the West, there are growing concerns that such companies’ African operations are not above reproach. From Abuja to Cape Town, Cairo to Nairobi, researchers are documenting the precarious conditions in which drivers operate. Authors FESTIVAL GODWIN BOATENG, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for…

Sep

20

2022

By The African Mirror

Akin Mabogunje: Nigerian urban geographer who mapped the origin and trends of African cities

AFRICITIES

I was introduced to Professor Akin Mabogunje’s work when I joined the Department of Estate Management at the University of Lagos in 2011. As a new junior lecturer, I had to read the key text being used by my course leader. It was here that I first encountered Mabogunje’s work on urbanisation in Nigeria. I never met Mabogunje, who died in Lagos on 4 August 2022 at the age of 90. And though my first experience of his work was not as a student, today his writings play a key part in what my own students learn. Each year when…

Sep

13

2022

By The African Mirror

Tap-and-go returns to Kenya’s matatu industry, Africa’s wider minibus taxi industry could be next

AFRICITIES

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY KENYA'S ubiquitous matatus (minibus taxis) are getting a major tech upgrade as UK-based O-CITY rolls out contactless payment solutions to make commuting hassle-free. This comes seven years after the service's predecessor, Bebapay, Google's ticket-payment system for matatus in Nairobi was terminated, in large part due to push-back from the industry as well as from users. O-CITY - dubbed Lipafare in Kenya - has already digitised payments for more than 10,000 matatus and is upbeat about adoption, asserting its systems are regarded as convenient. "Matatu buses dominate transportation options across the country and are used by…