Since the start of the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), we’ve been interested in trying to create more equitable partnerships and processes through the process. The rupture of the Covid-19 pandemic provided us with some opportunities, plus added impetus following reflections within the sector catalysed by the Black Lives Matter movement.

From the outset, we’ve been exploring ways in which we could decolonise the ACRC approach by helping to shift the culture and practice of knowledge creation, which is currently built upon hugely unequal power systems. Of course, we are not starting from scratch but building on traditions of knowledge co-production between diverse groups involved in urban research. As such, we’re focusing on three main areas: structural issues, communication practices and methodological practices.

To explore some of these issues, ACRC's uptake director Martin Atela and strategic alignment group member Professor Ola Uduku sat down with our communications manager Chris Jordan, to give their perspectives on decolonisation.

Ola Uduku is head of school at the Liverpool School of Architecture, a member of ACRC's strategic alignment group and co-lead of the housing domain.

Martin Atela is research and policy programme manager at the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) and ACRC's uptake director.

Chris Jordan is communications and impact manager for the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester, and ACRC's communications manager.

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Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer

Sounds: Zapsplat

This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:

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Despite gender equality policies at the national level in many African countries, there are persistent gender-based disparities, inequalities and exclusions faced by many women, particularly among low-income urban residents. And while urbanisation may offer greater opportunities for women – for example, in employment, access to services and changes in social and household dynamics – this is not always the case.

Along with climate change and finance, gender is one of the key crosscutting themes being explored throughout ACRC's research into the political economy of urban development in Africa.

In this episode, Rachel Tolhurst – social scientist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and research director of the ARISE Hub – talks to Elizabeth Dessie about her background in gender, development and health, the politics of gender and equity, and why understanding how gender intersects with other key urban development domains and city systems is central to ACRC's research.

Rachel Tolhurst is co-lead for both ACRC's gender theme and health, wellbeing and nutrition domain.

Elizabeth Dessie is a postdoctoral fellow at ACRC and part of our youth and capability development domain team.

Read more about gender as a crosscutting theme on our blog.

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Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer

Sounds: Zapsplat

This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:

> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
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Collaborations between academia and grassroots organisations are not without tensions and power imbalances. For low-income urban communities, engaging with academics may mean enduring disqualification of their knowledge.

Systematic reflection and assessment are key to preventing or reverting this. ACRC’s research approach integrates these notions to build strong, horizontal collaborations with a diverse range of research partners including Slum Dwellers International (SDI).

In this episode, George Masimba and Teurai Nyamangara from Dialogue on Shelter – support NGO to the SDI-affiliated Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation – speak to Daniela Beltrame and Smith Ouma about their approach to working with academic institutions, knowledge generation strategies and collaboration processes within ACRC, and their ongoing work in Harare's informal settlements.

George Masimba is head of programmes at Dialogue on Shelter and is leading ACRC's city of systems, uptake and informal settlements domain work for Harare.

Teurai Nyamangara is a project officer at Dialogue on Shelter and works alongside George in coordinating informal settlements domain research in Harare.

Daniela Beltrame is a political scientist and urban planner, working on ACRC's informal settlements domain.

Smith Ouma is a postdoctoral fellow at ACRC, conducting research into informal settlements as part of our domain team.

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Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer

Sounds: Zapsplat

This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:

> Website
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> Bluesky
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In this episode, Urban Action Lab founder Shuaib Lwasa talks to ACRC’s co-research director Seth Schindler about "unlearning" mainstream urban planning, ways to scale up micro-level innovations to drive transformation in African cities, and how coproducing knowledge goes beyond just empowering research participants.

Shuaib Lwasa is professor of urban sustainability at Makerere University in Uganda. He recently joined the African Cities Research Consortium's senior management team to lead its capacity strengthening work.

Seth Schindler is senior lecturer in urban development and transformation at The University of Manchester's Global Development Institute and co-research director of ACRC.

Find out more about Shuaib's role in ACRC on our blog.

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This conversation was originally featured on the Global Development Institute podcast.

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Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer

Sounds: Zapsplat

This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:

> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
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> X (Twitter)

In most African cities, more than half of the population live in informal settlements. Residents often lack basic services and infrastructure, also facing unsafe housing and insecure tenure.

Yet upgrading informal settlements is complex and can be contentious. While some successful models have been developed, too little upgrading has taken place in African cities, existing upgrading has lacked affordable options for the lowest-income residents, and tenants are frequently displaced. Moreover, upgrading efforts have not addressed the growing significance of adverse climate change and the risks this poses for residents.

In this episode, social activist and leader of Muungano wa Wanavijiji, Joseph Muturi, talks to Smith Ouma about the challenges of informal settlement upgrading, the importance of youth in climate change advocacy, and why communities have to be at the centre of upgrading initiatives.

Joseph Muturi is leader of Muungano wa Wanavijiji, the Kenyan Slum Dweller Federation, and chair of SDI's board of directors.

Smith Ouma is a postdoctoral fellow at the African Cities Research Consortium, conducting research into informal settlements as part of our domain team.

Read more about informal settlements on the ACRC blog.

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Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer

Sounds: Zapsplat

This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:

> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
> YouTube
> X (Twitter)