Cities Alliance at the Africa Urban Forum 2024

The Africa Urban Forum (AUF) promotes sustainable development in African human settlements. It is a platform through which governments collaborate to enhance African cities, enabling them to fulfil their potential as centres of hope, growth, and prosperity.

Ethiopia will host the inaugural AUF convened on the 4-6 September 2024 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Cities Alliance is a partner of the Forum and will engage in various sessions during the event.

The Harmonized Regional Framework for Implementing the New Urban Agenda in Africa, developed by the African Union Commission, jointly with UN-Habitat and UNECA serves as the main guiding framework for the deliberations of the AUF. The framework aligns with the transformative vision of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and serves as a pivot for addressing urban related issues in Africa.

The format of the Forum will include round-tables, plenary sessions/ panel discussions, dialogues, side events, assemblies, and exhibitions.

Urbanization on the African continent represents a megatrend. By 2050, the percentage of people living in urban areas is predicted to rise from 47 per cent in 2000 to around 60 per cent. 

Urbanization in Africa varies by region, each area having its own geographic and historical contexts. East Africa has the lowest rate of people living in cities, while South and North Africa lead in urban growth; followed by Central and West Africa who are home to some of the largest megacities in Africa.

African cities and towns will be built one way or another in the next three decades. How they are built will determine the prospects for the continent and the viability of global sustainability efforts for the remainder of the century. It has never been more important for new multi-level governance arrangements and continent-wide programmes to harness the current urbanization phase to ensure economic diversification, reduced cost-of-service delivery and climate resilient development.

Cities Alliance will be contribute to a number of panel discussions including:

More resilient African cities as part of the solution for force displacement and migration. This session will focus on the challenges and opportunities posed by forced displacement and migration in African cities, with an emphasis on the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. It will explore how urbanization intersects with migration and how cities can better accommodate displaced populations through integrated, inclusive urban planning. The discussion will highlight the importance of collaboration between local governments, humanitarian organizations, and development actors to create sustainable, scalable solutions. Outcomes will include a deeper understanding of migration trends and strategies for enhancing urban resilience and social cohesion. 5 September 2024  / 11:00-12:30 EAT

Enabling Cities to enhance their economic linkages through access to transport corridors.  This side event hosted by the European Commission - DG INTPA, in partnership with Cities Alliance, will explore how Africa's economic transformation can be supported through corridor development, with a specific focus on integrating cities into these strategic infrastructure investments. The event will link to and be of relevance for the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, which seek to mobilise large scale investments, including into specific (transport) corridors. As corridor development is key to creating the millions of jobs needed for Africa's growing labour force, the event will discuss how cities can harness the development potential of these corridors.  5 September 2024  / 17:30-19:00 EAT

Advancing Resilient Housing and Sustainable Construction in Africa’s Informal Settlements. This event  will explore innovative solutions to Africa's severe housing deficit, where up to 90 per cent of the population lives in inadequate conditions. The panel will focus on pro-poor strategies such as improved construction practices, sustainable material use, and incremental loans, all aimed at creating resilient housing that can withstand the impacts of climate change. The outcomes of this discussion will contribute to the AUF Declaration and inform global housing strategies leading up to WUF12. The event is organized by  Build Change, Center for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF), Habitat for Humanity Africa, International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED), Slum Dwellers International (SDI), UN Habitat, WRI Africa and Cities Alliance. 5 September 2024  / 17:30-19:00 EAT

The AUF is organized in partnership with UN-Habitat, UNECA, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, African Development Bank, Shelter Afrique, African Centre for Cities,  UCLG-Africa, Centre for Africa Housing Finance, WRI, FMDV and Cities Alliance.

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Source: AUF