insert_link Africa Walking in African cities can be a miserable experience: Accra study shows planners ignore needs of pedestrians By Seth Asare Okyere, University of Arizona; Daniel Oviedo, UCL; Louis Kusi Frimpong, University of Environment and Sustainable Development ; Matthew Abunyewah, Charles Darwin University, and Stephen Leonard Mensah, University of Memphis African cities aren’t welcoming places for pedestrians. Yet walking is free and, given the shortage of decent public transport, it’s often the only way for people to move around. More than 70% of Africa’s […] todayMay 8, 2024 7
insert_link Africa Lagos: drugs, firearms and youth unemployment are creating a lethal cocktail in Nigeria’s commercial capital By Adewumi I. Badiora, Olabisi Onabanjo University Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and a regional economic giant, having west Africa’s busiest seaport. It is the centre of commercial and economic activities in Nigeria. The city’s population is estimated to be 20 million people. The existence of informal settlements makes it difficult to come up with a more precise number. Lagos has grown rapidly since […] todayFebruary 21, 2024 8
insert_link Africa Slums and guns in Bamako: what’s driving the illegal weapon trade in Mali’s capital city By Oluwole Ojewale, Institute for Security Studies As west Africa urbanises, many cities have become interconnected through trade, travel and technology, and crime has increased in complexity and scope. The proliferation of arms in west African cities, especially in the aftermath of conflicts in Libya (2011) and Mali (2012), has added to these challenges in Bamako, Mali’s capital. In 2018, the Small Arms Survey estimated that roughly […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 7
insert_link Business / Economics The rise of robo-retail: Who gets left behind when retail is automated? By Mathew Iantorno, University of Toronto Canada’s first robotic cafe, RC Coffee, opened in Toronto in October 2020. The flagship location of the coffee chain revived the long-dormant retail concept of the automat: a restaurant where food and drinks are served by technology, rather than human staff. The new coffee automat consisted of a touchscreen for placing orders, a window that allows customers to watch a […] todayFebruary 15, 2024 19
Africa Ghana: Kumasi city’s unplanned boom is destroying two rivers – sewage, heavy metals and chemical pollution detected By Stephen Appiah Takyi, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Owusu Amponsah, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Ghana’s urban population has more than tripled in the past three decades, from 4 million to nearly 14 million people. Competition for land in cities has increased among various land uses. These trends have led to encroachment in ecologically sensitive areas such as wetlands. Kumasi, […] todayFebruary 8, 2024 9
insert_link Environment Why are floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal so devastating? Urban planning expert explains By Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu, University of KwaZulu-Natal The devastation caused by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa demonstrates again that the country is not moving fast enough to adopt appropriate urban planning. It should be integrating risk assessment and management in the design and development of cities. This is becoming more urgent as the frequency of floods increases. Most South African cities were built a long time ago, before […] todayJanuary 22, 2024 10
insert_link Namibia Ondangwa allocates land to the Namibian Police for Omashaka substation The Ondangwa Town Council has allocated a portion of land to the Namibian Police Force to construct a substation at Omashaka. Here’s the town’s mayor Paavo Amwele. todayJanuary 8, 2024 10
insert_link Namibia Walvis Bay allocates Farm 37 plots The Walvis Bay Municipality has distributed plots at Farm 37 on the town's outskirts. Mayor Trevino Forbes has encouraged the beneficiaries to start construction and relocation. Residents, long awaiting plots, faced delays due to bureaucratic processes and not enough funds for land servicing. The Walvis Bay Municipal Council faced division last year, with some councillors opposing the relocation to an area with limited services. Mayor Trevino Forbes. todayDecember 21, 2023 57
insert_link Namibia No informal settlements in Tsandi By Lydia Pitiri The Tsandi Village Council has formalised the informal settlement in the town after it allocated 300 to 500 square metres of land to each resident living in the area. About 140 people live in the informal settlement. The Land Management Officer of the Tsandi Village Council, Rebbeka Nuule said they are formalising informal settlements to ensure residents live in formal structures instead of shacks. “We believe people […] todayNovember 1, 2023 7
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
