.
African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC)
City level research lessons
As part of a joint project of the Coleman African Studies Center and Global Public Affairs at Luskin, this colloquium will provide an opportunity to meet (virtually) with a number of the African researchers who have carried out city-based studies of the past two years. This presentation will be made by Abdulai Abdul-Gafaru, Department of Public Administration, University of Ghana Business School.
African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC)
Joint project of James S. Coleman African Studies Center and Global Public Affairs at Luskin
Wednesdays, 10:30-12 Pacific Time
(note that this is 8 hours earlier than UK time, except for the November 1 lecture, which will have
a 7- hour time difference, due to the fact that the UK and Europe change from summer hours a week
before the United States).
Background:
The African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) is a major six-year investment by the
Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (UK government) to fund new, operationally-relevant
research to address intractable development challenges in African cities. Despite some efforts to
adopt multi-sectoral approaches in African cities, too many programs remain siloed – failing to
deal with the complexity of urban development problems, or the possible unintended consequences of
such interventions.
The ACRC approach is more holistic. The ACRC has sought to integrate systems thinking with rigorous
political analysis to provide new insights designed to support urban reform efforts. The aim is to
co- produce knowledge and then turn the research into meaningful action that tackles development
challenges. All cities are complex, dynamic, political systems. But with a fast-growing population,
inadequate infrastructure and services, weak governance and limited economic development, many
African cities face critical challenges.
This colloquium will provide an opportunity to meet (virtually) with a number of the African
researchers who have carried out city-based studies of the past two years.
Connection: Join Zoom Meeting
https://ucla.zoom.us/j/92902609684?pwd=RTF0NlFPWDNYUVZMMzcxb0cwUS8wZz09 Meeting ID: 929 0260 9684
Passcode: 440870
Current Program
October 11: Land and Connectivity
Abubakar Monguno, University of Maiduguri
October 18: Healthy Diets and the Politics of African Cities: the Case of Kampala
Gloria Seruwagi, Lecturer and Researcher, Makerere University, Uganda
October 25: Diet-related health and nutrition dynamics in Nairobi's informal settlements
Samuel Owuor, University of Nairobi
November 1: On the Police as Urban Infrastructure and Managers in the African City
Wangui Kimari, Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), University of Cape Town
November 8: Garbage and Taking Out the Trash
Garth Myers, Professor of Urban International Studies, Trinity College
November 15: Beyond Boko Haram’s Bombs and Bullets: The Activism, Dreams, and Aspirations of Maiduguri’s Youth
Imrana Buba, Youth Coalition Against Terrorism
November 22: tbd
November 29: Structural Transformation in African Cities
Michael Danquah, United Nations University-WIDER
December 6: The Politics of Development in Ghana’s Capital City
Abdulai Abdul-Gafaru, Department of Public Administration, University of Ghana Business School
Published: Sunday, November 19, 2023