GPSC African Regional Workshop - Integrated Urban Development in Africa: Challenges and Lessons Learnt
When
Time
09:00 AM
Where
African Development Bank headquarters, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Introduction
Led by the World Bank and supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), in collaboration with development partners, the GPSC, promotes sustainable development amidst rapid urbanization. The platform currently comprises 28 client cities across 11 countries. The GPSC works with practitioners and thought leaders from around the world to develop solutions for sustainable urban development and supports cities in their efforts to adopt an integrated approach to urban planning and financing. The objectives of the GPSC are to:
- Provide a platform for knowledge sharing and learning on an integrated approach to urban planning and management;
- Create a space for networking and learning among cities and relevant organizations on issues related to sustainable urban development; and
- Support the participating cities’ evidenced-based urban planning work with the aim of forging a common vision and approach to urban sustainability.
Background and Rationale
Africa’s urbanization rate is growing at unprecedented speed and the continent is projected to soon be one of the fastest urbanizing regions in the world. It will embrace a 56% urbanized population by 2050 ̵ mostly driven by medium-sized cities and cities with less than 1 million inhabitants. When cities and countries encounter such urbanization and urgently need to build infrastructure, a growing number of these cities and countries have realized the importance of sustainable development, economic prosperity, and quality of life for their urban populations.
One of the main challenges that countries and cities continue to face is determining approaches to integrate sustainable development practices into the planning, financing, and implementation dimensions of their projects. GPSC and the African Development Bank (AfDB) will lead the African Regional Workshop titled Integrated Urban Development in Africa: Challenges and Lessons Learnt from May 14-16, 2018. The program will be presented in collaboration with GEF, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the World Bank. The workshop will feature a mix of lectures and hands-on training regarding three topics:
- 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 three-day workshop will also include an overview of the GPSC’s Urban Sustainability Framework (USF), along with information regarding urban indicators. The USF is a guidance document that helps cities understand and move toward urban sustainability through practice and a systematic engagement with the GPSC. It elaborates the key components of urban sustainability and lays out a four-stage approach for achieving sustainability, along with the enabling and outcome dimensions of sustainability. Cities in Africa can customize the tool’s parameters to their own context to implement specific urban sustainability programs.
Objective and Expected Accomplishments
The overall goal of the GPSC Africa Regional Workshop is to enhance the capacity of key stakeholders, including national and city government officials and policymakers, to strategically and effectively adopt integrated urban planning concepts into sustainable urban development plans. The workshop will also facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges towards an improved understanding of adopting the USF and evidence-based urban planning approaches with effective municipal financial management. This regional workshop’s content will especially be geared towards African cities.
The expected accomplishments at the end of the workshop include enhanced awareness and improved knowledge of:
- Multi-dimensional integrated approaches to urban sustainability;
- The processes, institutions and structures required to put in place initiatives relating to sustainable urban development;
- Capacity development and technical assistance needed to achieve integrated planning; and
- Integrated approaches for city-level development strategies through the establishment of a regional network of practitioners.
Targeted Attendance Groups
The targeted participants for this GPSC African Regional Workshop are national and city government officials, policymakers, and institutional practitioners from throughout Africa. Participation is expected to consist of approximately 80 attendees from GPSC members and other nations or cities, along with the UN, multi-lateral development banks, and various organizations.
Venue
African Development Bank headquarters, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Working Language
Simultaneous interpretation between English and French.
Download Event Booklet HERE
AGENDA
Day 1 – Monday, May 14
Integrated Urban Planning
Time |
Session |
8:30 – 9:00 |
Registration |
I. Opening Session |
|
9:00 – 10:00 |
Opening Remarks
Introduction of Workshop Participants |
II. Setting the Context: Africa and the GPSC
|
|
10:00 – 10:45 |
Key Challenges for Urbanization in Ghana
Overview of Urban Challenges in Africa
Overview of GPSC’s Urban Sustainability Framework
|
10:45 – 11:00 |
GEF6 Sustainable Cities Abidjan Urban Development Project: Lessons Learnt
|
11:00 – 11:15 |
GEF7 Sustainable Cities Impact Program Outlook
|
11:15 – 11:30 |
Coffee Break |
III. Evidence-Based Approaches to Integrated Urban Planning |
|
11:30 – 12:45 |
1. Melaka, Malaysia’s Sustainability Outlook: Integrated Planning and Urban Mobility Strategies
Discussion |
12:45 – 14:00 |
Lunch |
IV. Obtaining Urban Data for Improved Urban Planning and Growth Moderator: (TBC) |
|
14:00 – 15:45 |
2. African Program on Urban Data and Statistics
3. Supporting GPSC Cities with Satellite Earth Observation for Sustainable Urban Development
Discussion |
15:45 – 16:00 |
Coffee Break |
V. How to Integrate Planning Processes to Achieve Urban Sustainability |
|
16:00 – 17:30 |
Break-out Group Discussions by City Participants
|
VI. Networking Reception |
Day 2 – Tuesday, May 15
Urban Mobility and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
Host City Presentations: Cocody, Abidjan Presentation | |
I. Integrated Approach to Urban Mobility in Africa | |
9:45 – 10:45 |
Panel Presentation and Discussion: Urban Mobility
1. Leveraging Urban Mobility Strategies to Improve Accessibility and Productivity of Cities
2. Emergence of Mass Transport in Dakar: The Cases of the Bus Rapid Transit project (BRT) and the Regional Express Train
Discussion |
10:45 – 11:00 |
Coffee Break |
II. Transforming African Cities Through TOD |
|
11:00 – 12:15 |
Overview of the Key Components of the GPSC TOD Knowledge Resource
Discussion |
12:15 – 13:15 |
Lunch Break |
13:15 – 15:15 |
Panel Presentation and Discussion: TOD in Practice – Case Studies from African Cities
2. Improving the Quality of Transport Service Delivery in Dar es Salaam Through TOD
3. Spatially Targeted Investment
Discussion |
15:15 – 15:30 |
Coffee Break |
III. Site Visit |
|
15:30 – 17:30 |
Site Visit to Abidjan’s HKB Bridge as an Example PPP Project |
Day 3 – Wednesday, May 16
Municipal Financial Sustainability and Financing the City’s Sustainability Plans
I. Municipal Financial Sustainability |
|
9:00 – 10:30 |
Key Concepts of Municipal Financial Sustainability
Discussion Panel Discussion: Practical Examples of Financial Performance Improvements
|
10:30 – 11:00 |
Creating the African City Development Fund
|
11:00 – 11:15 |
Coffee Break |
II. Realizing Projects Through Public-Private Partnerships |
|
11:15 – 12:30 |
PPPs in Cities: Rationale and Key Nuances of Municipal PPPs
4. Case study for Tanzania Discussion |
12:30 – 13:30 |
Lunch Break |
III. Opportunities to Integrate Municipal Finance and PPP Strategies into African Cities |
|
13:30 – 15:00 |
Panel Discussion on the Importance of the Enabling Environment for Financing Infrastructure Investments
|
14:45 – 15:00 |
Coffee Break |
15:00 – 16:15 |
Break-out Group Presentations and Peer-to-Peer Discussions |
16:15 – 16:45 |
Presentations of Group Findings |
IV. Closing Session |
|
16:45 – 17:00 |
GEF Sustainable Cities Program Discussion
|
17:00 – 17:30 |
Closing Remarks
End of the GPSC and AfDB African Regional Workshop
|