Efforts to tackle the growing challenge of urbanisation on the African continent were revisited recently as settlement development practitioners gathered for three days in Lagos to explore the emerging African Urban Agenda.
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning of the University of Lagos in Nigeria hosted professionals and students from around the world to discuss the continent’s human settlements trials.
The conference, with the theme: “The Urban Agenda for Africa: Realities, Challenges and Potentials”, was aimed at providing a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder platform to discuss and debate the subject.
The forum was graced by dignitaries such as Prof Leke Oduwaye (Chairman, Technical and Scientific Committee), Dr Muyiwa Agunbiade (Rapporteur), His Excellency Louis Lulu Mnguni (South African High Commissioner to Nigeria), Mr Ibrahim Dikko (Director, Regulatory Affairs, ETISALAT Nigeria), Mr Nicola Rizk (Head, West Africa, Dar al Handassah Group), Professor Tunde Agbola (Chair, Association of African Planning Schools, University of Ibadan, Nigeria), Prof Vanessa Watson (Co-Chair, AAPS/African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town, South Africa) and Mrs Mariam Yunusa (Manager, African Urban Agenda and Head of Inter-Agency Branch UN- Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya).
