Food Policy Councils and Governance Partnerships in African Urban Contexts

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There is an urgent need for changes in the food systems of African cities. Africa’s urban transition differs from other urban transitions, and Africa’s urban food systems are also transforming rapidly in a variety of ways. Given the pace and scale of urbanisation, governing Africa’s urban food systems to ensure basic needs are satisfied presents a critical development challenge, compounded by increased resource scarcity. African cities are diverse; equally, emerging urban food governance approaches differ. This chapter investigates the emergence of novel, albeit nascent, place-based food governance approaches in select African cities. The chapter begins with a reflection on who governs food in African cities and the modes of governance, highlighting place-based governance limitations and potential possibilities. We then examine the food governance actions from the four cities of Antananarivo, Cape Town, Arusha, and Stellenbosch, reflecting on questions of governance, authority, agency, and the role of external role players. We conclude by suggesting that governance approaches may offer the seeds of emergent African urban food policy councils, but warn that unless such actions effectively integrate with wider urban system deficiencies, such as poverty and inequality, impact will remain marginal. The cases demonstrate similarities and differences compared to general Global North urban food governance processes.