Cities are the most complex mechanisms to manage because they deal with all the complexity that results from human activities and the pressure they exert on natural resources. In the developing world, data from the African Development Bank (AfDB) reveal that Africa has experienced the highest urban growth during the last two decades at 3.5% per year; and projections also indicate that between 2010 and 2025, some African cities will account for up to 85% of the population. As the world continues to see a growing urban population, African cities should be at the forefront in ensuring that the basic social infrastructural needs of the citizens are met, providing them a good quality of life, and achieving the ecological and energy transitions.

However, the growing urban population trend indeed raises unprecedented challenges in the region, with relatively low income per capita and lack of infrastructure. As the region already confronts critical deficits in infrastructure and related funding, the looming crisis in the provision of urban infrastructure, especially transport, is a serious cause of concern that requires particular attention. Similarly, African countries and cities continue to face the critical challenges of determining approaches to integrate sustainable development practices into the planning, financing, and implementation dimensions of their projects.

In light of this, the African Leadership (UK) Limited is thrilled to put together the Forum on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability Development in Africa to provide a pan-African platform where existing challenges, innovative approaches and ideas to sustainable urban regeneration and development can be collected, displayed, and discussed. This forum will feature a mix of lectures, roundtable sessions, and hands-on training session in four areas:

• Urban Sustainability: Addressing Challenges And Tapping Opportunities
• Evidence-Based Approach to Integrated Urban Planning
• Urban Mobility and Transit-Oriented Development; and
• Municipal Financial Sustainability and Financing the City’s Sustainability Plans.

The forum will realise the following learning objectives:

• Acquire actionable insights, proven solutions and effective strategies to craft a roadmap to more liveable, workable and sustainable cities.

• Identify common challenges and opportunities of urban regeneration projects and ways to move forward.

• Understand the barriers to overcome and mitigating risks in building successful PPPP models for regeneration areas.

• Integrating urban regeneration and sustainable urban development goals as a response to the impact of growing urbanization and sprawling cities.

• Demonstrate how urban space regeneration can play a significant role in improving economic and social outcomes in a sustainable way.

• Elaborate on the importance of facilitating knowledge exchange to identify common challenges, opportunities and best practices.

• Unrivalled networking opportunities with sustainability development and environmental experts from across related industries.

Expected Participants:

• National and City Government officials;
• Policymakers; and Institutional practitioners from across Africa.