Placing cities at the centre of Africa’s COVID-19 recovery

The on-going COVID19 pandemic has made clear the inequalities in infrastructure and institutions across the world – the heaviest burden often resting with developing cities. Housing is overcrowded and unsuitable for social distancing, there are difficulties in facilitating a coordinated response to containment measures, and poor service delivery of necessities like clean water. With limited resources and capacity, city governments cannot solve these challenges alone. This brings urgency to the question of the role of national governments in helping to build cities that are able to better withstand shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic.

This online event explores this question in the specific context of sub-Saharan Africa, the fastest urbanising region in the world. The event unpacks the value of cities as a national development priority post-COVID-19, what powers cities need to ensure success, and what is the role of national governments in building an enabling environment for cities that work.