What is livability by African standards? | World Bank and UN talk mobilization [FUTURE CITIES]

What makes the African city livable by African standards?   What are the two issues that you think define a livable city in an African context, panelist and delegates discuss:

Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, Country Director for Nigeria, World Bank 

1. Transportation
2. Power

Daouda Touré, Resident Coordinator, United Nations Nigeria

1. Clean energy
2. Availability of social infrastructure (health, training facilities)

Audience comment from Dr. Didas Massaburi, Mayor of Dar Es Salaam 

1. Increased security
2. Community involvement

Access to transport, power, security, and social infrastructures are lacking and can facilitate a mobilized economy in Africa – but who is responsible for this?

 

What will the African city of 2025 look like? FUTURE CITIES AFRICA SUMMIT STARTS [LIVE BLOG]

Mayors, urban planners and policymakers are gathered in Lagos today to discuss the future of Africa’s social, physical and economic environments at an Economist Conference, Future Cities.

The Chife Foundation is pleased to be attending the event and will be live blogging the sessions here at anamcity.wordpress.com, and tweeting @anamcity.

The Economist will be broadcasting via Twitter @EC_Cities using the hashtag #africacities.

Today’s speakers include:

• Executive Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola
• Mayor of Harare, Muchadeyi Masunda
• Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Dayo Mobereola 
• Architect, David Adjaye

Please see the full agenda for Future Cities on the Economist’s website here.

Join Anam team at FUTURE CITIES AFRICA (Economist Conference) in Lagos May 30/31st

Join us for a major summit on the future of cities in Africa

The most compelling growth opportunities are in Africa’s cities. In the next 10 years the continent’s population will rise beyond 1.5bn and consumer spending is predicted top $1.5 trillion.  The Anam design team will attend the event and live blog many of the sessions. 

Future Cities:  Managing Africa’s urban transformation

May 30th–31st 2012

Eko Expo Centre, Lagos

Future Cities, organised by Economist Conferences, is a major international conference, exploring innovative new approaches to designing, managing and financing Africa’s cities.

The event will feature leading authorities in urban planning, construction, transport, energy, architecture and sustainability, including the mayors of Lagos State, Johannesburg, Harare, Durban, Dar Es Salaam and Cape Town.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Babatunde Fashola, Executive Governor of Lagos State
• Parks Tau, Executive Mayor of Johannesburg
• Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties
• Kuma Demeksa, Executive Mayor of Addis Ababa
• He Liehui, Managing Director, Touchroad International Holding Group

Special NGO and academic rates are available. For further information and to register, visit www.economistconferences.com/africacities quoting code ANAM.

 

Anam City Initiatives Highlighted at Columbia University Forum – NYC

November 18, 2011

Anam City’s innovative approach to rural development, community leadership and stakeholder participation was highlighted at Columbia University’s 2011 Africa Diplomatic Forum (ADF). On a panel with high level international affairs officials, Abena Sackey Ojetayo, past Program Manager at the Chife Foundation, discussed the prospects and pitfalls of youth leadership in the future of Africa. The Anam project’s involvement of young people through the Fellows Program and stakeholder focus groups was highlighted as an example of a powerful tool of raising the next generation of leaders in Africa.

The ADF is an annual forum presented by Columbia University’s SIPA Pan-African Network and the Institute of African Studies that brings together African diplomats, academics, activists to discuss development issues on the Continent. This year’s theme, “The Blueprint,” focused on new challenges and opportunities in Africa to develop the right tools and lay the necessary foundation towards sustainable development in light of global political and economic shifts.

Anam City presents in Casablanca at African Perspectives Conference

Recognized as an emerging model for urbanism in Africa, the Anam City project presented at the 2011 African Perspectives conference, a prominent symposium that brings together top academic and professionals engaged in design and architectural work around the continent. The conference, organized by ArchiAfrika out of the Netherlands was held from November 3-7^th, 2011 in Casablanca, Morocco.  This year’s main theme was the ‘The African Metropolis’, offering the challenging topic of urban growth in Africa.  Keynote speaker, sociologist Saskia Sassen kicked off the event by discussing the importance of technology in the city and ways that the urban metropolis and its residents can communicate.    Other speakers from around the world presented on subtopics including:

• African urbanity: informal/formal
• From landscape of industrial production to productive cultural cityscape, and
• The periphery of the African metropolis

The Anam City project was very well received and the Chife Foundation team was able to connect with other practitioners and researchers who are developing other concepts compatible with our interest in sustainability in the African city.   African architect, Joe Osae-Addo in particular lauded the Anam City Project as an example of using design to stimulate social entrepreneurship.

The next conference will be held in 2013 in Nigeria.  The Chife Foundation plans to participate and will bring updates on the construction of Anam City.  We will have a lot to show off in two years!