AFRICITIES - The African Mirror

Aug

02

2021

Across Africa, commuters hop on two wheels

AFRICITIES

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD NEWSROOM FROM four wheels to two wheels... More Africans are taking motorcycles to work than ever before, as the two-wheeled mobility option proliferates on the continent ― and promises an electric option. Hopping onto a motorbike to go to work could soon be your regular mode of commute, as Africa ― faced with rapid urbanisation and population growth - diversifies its mobility options. Whether you call it a moto-taxi or a boda-boda (equally notorious for their deafening noise and noxious exhaust emissions) the two-wheeled options is also likely to become a lot more environmentally friendly in the…

Aug

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Farmers in Zimbabwe happier than city residents

AFRICITIES

SETH ONYANGO SOMETIMES it takes just a farm - and good rains - to be happy, as the World Bank reveals Zimbabweans in rural areas are happier than their city counterparts. Zimbabweans living in rural areas have a better life than those in urban centres, a World Bank report reveals, reigniting debate on whether it is better to live in the city or in the countryside. The multilateral lender cited thriving subsistence farming in Zimbabwe’s remote areas, stating it has propped up the fortunes of those living far from cities. The report's chief finding offers striking insight into the "rural-urban…

Jan

09

2021

By The African Mirror

Cities need inclusive COVID-19 responses to build back stronger. But we can’t do it alone

AFRICITIES

NINETY-FIVE of Covid-19 cases are reported in urban areas. That puts cities on the frontlines of a global public health crisis that is widening the gap between those with the comfort and safety of a home and those forced to leave their homes behind. Dire budget shortfalls and lost revenue — up to 65 percent for African cities and 15-25 percent globally — will curtail the ability of cities to deliver critical services and economic opportunity to all their residents in 2021, especially those who need it the most. Even before Covid-19 hit, my city of Freetown faced a reckoning. More than a third of residents – many rural migrants – lived in informal settlements where disease is common…

Jan

13

2021

By The African Mirror

Informal waste management in Lagos is big business: policies need to support the trade

AFRICITIES

THE megacity of Lagos has an estimated population of 24 million. And it’s constantly growing, putting additional strain on a city that already has serious challenges. They include heavy traffic congestion, flooding, air pollution and solid waste generation. CHIDI NZEADIBE, Professor of Environmental Management & Sustainability., University of Nigeria CHINEDU ONYISHI, Lecturer, University of Nigeria CHRISTIAN EZEIBE PH.D, Senior Lecturer, Political Science, University of Nigeria GERALD EZIRIM, Senior Lecturer, political science, University of Nigeria PETER MBAH, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria The waste economy in Lagos is huge. It is well connected with the…

Jul

03

2020

By The African Mirror

Hit the brakes on reform, say Kampala’s transport workers

AFRICITIES

LIAM TAYLOR IN NORMAL times, the Old Taxi Park is a maelstrom of minibuses, touts, hawkers and passengers at the heart of Kampala, the Ugandan capital. But today it is a barren sweep of stones and earth, boarded off to all except construction crews and their heavy-duty machines. The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has used the country's coronavirus lockdown to begin a long-awaited redevelopment of the park, including the installation of shelters, lighting and a tarmac surface. It is the most visible plank in a raft of reforms which the KCCA hopes will finally bring order to Kampala's chaotic…

Jul

02

2020

By The African Mirror

SA’s capital city needs new municipalism

AFRICITIES

MASHUPYE HERBERT MASERUMULE, Professor of Public Affairs, Tshwane University of Technology THE City of Tshwane, home to South Africa’s government and foreign diplomats, has been rocked by political turmoil for nearly a year. The squabbling between political parties has meant that the city council is “unable to conduct its business and cannot serve its residents”. This was according to a judge when the city’s problems ended up in the High Court. The city has been run by a coalition of minority parties cobbled together by the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition to the governing African National Congress (ANC). Coalition…

Jul

01

2020

By The African Mirror

Stories behind Nairobi’s street names

AFRICITIES

MELISSA WANJIRU-MWITA, Post-doctoral fellow, Université de Genève THE RECENT global events of civil and political unrest that started in the US have brought to the fore the complex dynamics of urban memorialisation. The protests have, in some places, led to renewed scrutiny of certain urban symbols such as commemorative statues – what they represent and how they are perceived and interpreted. Unlike monuments and statues, place names (toponyms) are intangible, and less imposing, but nevertheless, an indispensable part of the urban symbolic landscape. Their inscription, erasure and re-inscription is highly political. In a study of toponymy in Nairobi, Kenya, my…

Mar

19

2021

By The African Mirror

VR inspires guide to city design through eyes of a child

AFRICITIES

KIM HARRISBERG INSPIRED by a virtual reality tool that allows users to experience cities from the height of a three-year-old, a new set of guidelines aims to show how urban design can improve the health and security of vulnerable children. Bringing together practical tools and examples for urban planners and governments, the Proximity of Care Design Guide was launched this week by global design firm Arup and the Bernard van Leer Foundation, which focuses on childhood development. The guide builds on the virtual reality (VR) initiative Urban95, led by the foundation and Arup, which places users in a fictional urban…

Mar

18

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt prepares to start move to new capital, away from the chaos of Cairo

AFRICITIES

AIDAN LEWIS ad MOHAMED ABDELLAH EGYPT is racing to prepare a grandiose new capital city in the desert east of Cairo before the first civil servants move in this summer and ahead of the delayed official opening of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's flagship project. At the heart of the city, workers are putting finishing touches to an avenue of ministries that echo the architecture of pharaonic temples and adjoin a raised Islamic complex, two domed parliament buildings and a sprawling presidential compound. There will be a monorail passing through a business district where a 385-metre central tower is close to…

Mar

17

2021

By The African Mirror

Kwahu festival: insights into how Ghana could boost tourism potential

AFRICITIES

OVER the past few decades the boundaries of tourism have grown to include festival, cultural and ecological attractions. But the benefits of this development haven’t been extensively explored. These include attracting tourists who in turn make contributions to the development of the community. And stimulating the diffusion and commemoration of local culture as well as custom and ceremonies. ALEXANDER DIANI KOFI PREKO, Senior Lecturer, Marketing, University of Professional Studies Accra I conducted research to understand the effects of festival tourism on the socio-economic capital of the people of Kwahu in Ghana. I looked at how festival tourism in the region…