Urban Africa Research Articles

The persistence and rise of master planning in urban Africa: transnational circuits and local ambitions

ABSTRACT Master plans have long been criticized by critical planners who have argued in favour of more strategic, collaborative and relational forms of spatial planning that can more adequately respond to local needs and realities, especially in the context of the global South. Rather than critiquing master planning, this paper seeks to interrogate its recent rise in urban Africa. Building on a review of international planning trajectories, the paper seeks to challenge dominant narratives in the Western literature around the rise and decline of master planning. Planning experiences from across the African continent illustrate how master planning was a limited practice under colonialism and emerged more strongly in early post-colonial years, while persisting through a quiet period of planning and proliferating in recent times. By exploring the diversity in the influences and approaches to master planning for new and existing cities in Africa over time, the paper positions master planning as the product of a complex array of transnational circuits and multiple local actors and ambitions which intersect across different scales. The study of master planning should therefore be considered as an important entry point into understanding and rethinking the contemporary politics of urban planning, implementation, and development in Africa.

Can Informal Savings Groups Promote Food Security and Social, Economic and Health Transformations, Especially among Women in Urban Sub-Saharan Africa: A Narrative Systematic Review

This narrative review aimed to identify if roles of common informal savings groups known as Accumulating Savings and Credit Associations (ASCAs) or Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) can play a significant role in mitigating food insecurity, socioeconomic inequality, promoting health, and/or increasing agency in women in urban sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These organizations exist in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) worldwide under various names. A comprehensive search of scholarly outputs across six electronic databases (Pub-Med, Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, Scopus, Sabinet, and Cochrane) from 2000 to 2021 was completed. Twenty-eight (28) records met our inclusion criteria, and their quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) qualitative checklist. We identified through thematic analysis that ROSCAs/ASCAs play a crucial role in advancing social, economic, and health transformations, especially among women in urban SSA. However, while ROSCAs/ACSAs played important roles in food security, it was often not the primary motivation for participation. None of the selected studies identified the importance of dietary quality or access to healthy food in relation to food security. This review suggests a window of opportunity to promote partnerships and collaborations of ROSCAs/ASCAs with relevant stakeholders to leverage the functionalities of ROSCAs/ASCAs as vehicles for re-alignment of priorities, increased knowledge, and opportunities to encourage affordable healthy diets in urban SSA.

Prevalence and factors associated with health insurance coverage in urban sub-Saharan Africa: Multilevel analyses of demographic and health survey data.

IntroductionWith the vision of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by the year 2030, many sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have implemented health insurance schemes that seek to improve access to healthcare for their populace. In this study, we examined the prevalence and factors associated with health insurance coverage in urban sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Materials and methodsWe used the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 23 countries in SSA. We included 120,037 women and 54,254 men residing in urban centres in our analyses which were carried out using both bivariable and multivariable analyses.ResultsWe found that the overall prevalence of health insurance coverage was 10.6% among females and 14% among males. The probability of being covered by health insurance increased by level of education. Men and women with higher education, for instance, had 7.61 times (95%CI = 6.50–8.90) and 7.44 times (95%CI = 6.77–8.17) higher odds of being covered by health insurance than those with no formal education. Males and females who read newspaper or magazine (Males: AOR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.37–1.57; Females: AOR = 2.19, 95%CI = 1.31–3.66) listened to radio (Males: AOR = 1.29, 95%CI = 1.18–1.41; Females: AOR = 1.42, 95%CI = 1.35–1.51), and who watched television (Males: AOR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.64–1.97; Females: AOR = 1.86, 95%CI = 1.75–1.99) at least once a week had higher odds of being covered by health insurance.ConclusionThe coverage of health insurance in SSA is generally low among urban dwellers. This has negative implications for the achievement of universal health coverage by the year 2030. We recommend increased public education on the benefits of being covered by health insurance using the mass media which we found to be an important factor associated with health insurance coverage. The focus of such mass media education could target the less educated urban dwellers, males in the lowest wealth quintile, and young adults (15–29 years).

The City Makers of Nairobi: An African Urban History

The City Makers of Nairobi: An African Urban History

A divided schooling system: the spatial nature of secondary education in Ladybrand, Free State, South Africa

ABSTRACT School choice and commuting in Ladybrand’s three high schools was explored. While all were numerically dominated by Black African children, only the fee-charging former whites-only public school, in the heart of Ladybrand, had a multiracial learner profile. Black African learners enrolled in this school hailed from mostly middle-class homes in the neighbouring Black African township of Lesotho. The homes are financially resourced. Parents are educated, married and employed in skilled or professional jobs. These learners passively commuted to school. The profile of the two no-fee schools, located in the former ‘black only’ designated peripheral townships, was different. Here learners are almost exclusively Black South Africans, living in poorly educated, single-parent homes. Household finances were weak with parents either unemployed or working in semi-skilled or unskilled jobs. These learners either used a subsidized government bus, mini-bus taxis or walked (in some cases long distances from neighbouring farms) to school. Parents said they selected no-fee schools on geographical proximity and low cost; whereas education quality drove choice for the former white school. The socio-economic and demographic profile of learners in no-fee versus fee-paying schools was statistically significant. Ladybrand’s high schools are segregated by class, a situation reflecting much of urban South Africa.

The forgotten coal: Charcoal demand in sub-Saharan Africa

Charcoal is an important cooking fuel in urban Africa. In this paper, we estimate the current number of charcoal users and project trends for the coming decades. Charcoal production is often not effectively regulated, and it hence contributes to forest degradation. Moreover, charcoal has adverse health effects for its users. At the same time, charcoal constitutes an important income source in deprived rural areas, while the current alternative, gas, is a mostly imported fossil fuel. We find that 195 million people in sub-Saharan Africa rely on charcoal as their primary cooking fuel and gauge that another 200 million use charcoal as secondary fuel. Our scenarios suggest that clean cooking initiatives are outweighed by strong urban population growth and hence charcoal usage is expected to remain high over the coming decades. Policies should therefore target end-users, forest management, and regulation of charcoal production to enable sustainable production and use of charcoal.

AFRICAN CITIES IN THE 2020S: WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHS

A series of case studies will illustrate trends in migration and urbanization in urban Africa. Weaknesses in the search for inclusivity – especially during and after COVID - refer particularly to the continuing dominant roles of urban (as well as national and global) elites in these cities and the associated high levels of urban poverty and inequality. Strengths refer particularly to the roles of the better qualified urban youth, to the spread of digital skills and means of communication, and to the presence of both global as well as national positive influences in these cities.

Assessing gender and energy in urban household energy transitions in South Africa: A quantitative storytelling from Groenheuwel informal settlement

Energy transition in urban informal households requires gender considerations in everyday practices. However, few urban energy transition studies provide empirical evidence on gendered issues in informal settlements to inform policy on achieving affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. This study contributes to the scientific and policy knowledge gap on the relevant aspects to consider when managing the energy transition challenge posed by fast-growing informal settlements in urban Africa. Using quantitative storytelling, the study analyses a sample of 100 households from Groenheuwel informal settlement in South Africa and presents critical insights into where the gender of the household head matters. The basis for the analysis was on six aspects that can affect everyday household practices in the energy transition, namely, household characteristics, household composition, household building type, household fuel decision making, household energy expenditure and household energy service flows. Although the study used gender as a general perspective to build a knowledge base on household energy transition, the results show that not every aspect is associated with gender. In the Groenheuwel community, gender matters in the household characteristics and some aspects of household composition, which makes it necessary to take a gendered perspective in household fuel decision making, household energy expenditure and household energy services flows. These results also present divergent perspectives and are expected to vary across multiple scales and other urban environments.

Motivational determinants of physical activity in disadvantaged populations with (pre)diabetes: a cross-cultural comparison

BackgroundUnderstanding motivational determinants of physical activity (PA) is essential to guide the implementation of PA at individual and population level. Knowledge about the cross-cultural generalizability of these determinants is lacking and they have mostly been studied as separate factors. This study compares a motivational process model across samples from diverse populations with, or at risk of diabetes.MethodsMeasurement invariance of barrier identified regulation, barrier self-efficacy and social support was assessed in a rural Ugandan sample (n = 712) and disadvantaged samples with high proportions of immigrants in urban South Africa (n = 566) and Sweden (n = 147). These motivational determinants were then compared through multigroup structural equation modeling.ResultsThe studied motivational constructs showed scalar invariance. Latent mean levels of perceived social support and barrier self-efficacy were lower in South Africa and Sweden. Structural models (for different PA outcomes) were not consistent across settings except for the association between perceived social support and identified regulation. Identified regulation was only associated with vigorous PA in Uganda and with moderate PA in South Africa. The association between social support and PA outcomes ranged from weak to not significant and the association between self-efficacy and PA was not significant. Self-reported PA was highest in Uganda and lowest in Sweden. Self-reported vigorous PA was significantly related to lower hemoglobin A1c levels, while moderate PA was not.ConclusionsFindings suggest that: 1) it is feasible to compare a motivational process model across diverse settings; 2) there is lower perceived social support and self-efficacy in the urban, migrant samples; 3) identified regulation is a more promising determinant of PA than self-efficacy or social support in these populations; 4) associations between motivational determinants and PA depend on the perceived type and/or intensity of PA; 5) perceived relatedness functions as a basic psychological need across diverse settings; and 6) people’s perception of the PA they perform depends on their perceived level of intensity of PA which would have major implications for health promotion.

Urban Africa 2050: Imagining Theological Education/Formation for Flourishing African Cities

Africa’s staggering rate of urbanization and the silence of religion or theology in response form the backdrop of this article. Africa’s urban futures, up through 2050, are considered through the lenses of fifteen African cities and theological institutions in these cities. I employ a set of research questions, seeking to contribute theologically to a body of knowledge known as African urbanism. The article imagines theological education/formation in response to Africa’s urban explosion through exploring flourishing cities as an organizing imaginary, but also through outlining concrete embodiments and prospects for reimagining theological education/formation in African cities.

Participatory Causal Loop Mapping of the Adoption of Organic Farming in Nigeria.

Contrary to the expectations of promoters of organic agriculture, the adoption of the technology by smallholder farmers in Africa has been low and slow, for reasons not well understood. Existing studies on the topic mostly estimated the effect of some variables on the adoption of the technology. But adoption is characterized by complex and dynamic interactions of many interconnected factors, which existing studies overlooked. The underlying causal structures and feedback mechanisms that dynamically interact to affect the adoption of organic farming in urban and rural Africa are also not well known. To bridge these gaps, we used a system dynamics tool called participatory causal loop diagraming to map the underlying causal factors and feedback mechanisms driving the adoption of organic farming in rural and urban Nigeria. We conducted loop and network analyses of the group causal loop diagrams, which were created during the participatory system dynamics modeling workshops with the organic farmers in our study areas. Our findings underscore the importance of the knowledge of organic farming, demand- and supply-side-oriented awareness creation, and the economic viability of organic farming for widespread adoption of the technology. We suggested the potential leverages around which interventions can be built to boost the adoption rates of the technology.

Cognitive and Motor Development in 3- to 6-Year-Old Children Born to Mothers with Hyperglycaemia First Detected in Pregnancy in an Urban African Population

Hyperglycaemia first detected in pregnancy (HFDP), on the rise in urban sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), may negatively impact foetal neurodevelopment, with potential long-term cognitive consequences for the child. Data on this association from SSA is lacking, and we aimed to investigate the association in 3- to 6-year-old children in Soweto, South Africa. In this comparative study, we compared cognitive skills measured with the Herbst Early Childhood Development Criteria test in 95 children born to mothers with HFDP and 99 participants unexposed to maternal HFDP. Fine and gross motor skills were secondary outcomes. Ordinal regression analysis with known confounders was performed for children born at-term. Of children exposed to HFDP born at-term, 24.3% scored 'high' and 25.7% scored 'low' in the cognitive subsection of the test, as opposed to 37.7% and 12.9% in the HFDP-unexposed group, respectively. In ordinal regression, exposed participants had a significantly lower odds of scoring in a higher cognitive category when adjusting for maternal confounders and socio-economic status (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.15-0.74, p = 0.007). No difference was found in gross motor development between the two groups; differences in fine motor development were attenuated after adjustment for maternal pregnancy factors and household socioeconomic status (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.28-1.37, p = 0.239). Exposure to HFDP was negatively associated with cognitive development at preschool age. Optimising maternal (preconception) health and early childhood cognitive stimulation could help more children reach their developmental potential.

Twelve Weeks of Additional Fish Intake Improves the Cognition of Cognitively Intact, Resource-Limited Elderly People: A Randomized Control Trial.

Dietary omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may reduce the risk of dementia. Many studies have investigated PUFA supplementation in high-income countries, yet food-based randomized control trials using omega 3 PUFA rich fish in lower to middle income countries, are lacking. To determine the effect on cognition of adding either fish or non-fish foods for twelve weeks to an enhanced diet of cognitively intact, independently living, resource-limited elderly people. Randomized control trial (National Health Trial register: DOH-27-061-6026). Retirement center in urban South Africa. Fifty-seven (74% female, mean age: 72±7 years) elderly participants with cognitive function exceeding 22 on the Mini Mental State Examination were randomized into an intervention (n=31) and control (n=26) group. The usual diets of both groups were enhanced with context-appropriate foods to mimic elements of the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet. The intervention group additionally received canned pilchards and fish spread every week amounting to an additional (theoretical) intake of 2.2g omega 3 PUFA daily. The control group received canned meatballs and texturized soya every week. Cognition was measured twice before and once after the intervention phase using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI). Adherence was assessed by a study-specific food frequency questionnaire and red blood cell (RBC) PUFA biomarkers. Data were analyzed using a non-parametric analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with, and without, bootstrap imputation. Participants in the intervention group had a significantly higher post intervention (P=0.036) CASI score than the control group, when the model was fitted with imputation and controlled for baseline scores. Participants in the intervention group also had a significantly higher intake of calculated dietary omega 3 PUFA and higher levels of RBC eicosapentaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid content than the control group (P < 0.05). Twelve weeks of fish intake in the context of a modified MIND diet may improve the cognition of cognitively intact, resource-limited elderly people.

Management and outcomes of catatonia: A prospective study in urban South Africa.

Objectives:Rapid intervention for catatonia with benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy can prevent fatal complications. We describe the management and treatment response of 44 patients with catatonia in a psychiatric unit in urban South Africa. The objective was to screen admissions for catatonia and investigate management, treatment response, and treatment outcomes.Method:We used a prospective, descriptive, observational study design and collected data using a data collection sheet, the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument, the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale, and the Diagnostic Statistical Manual-5 to assess catatonia in new admissions from September 2020 to August 2021.Results:Of the 241 participants screened on admission, 44 (18.3% of 241) screened positive for catatonia on the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument, while 197 (81.7% of 241) did not. Thirty-eight (86.4% of 44) received lorazepam, seven (15.9%) received clonazepam, and two (4.6%) received diazepam, implying that three (6.8%) of the 44 participants with catatonia received more than one benzodiazepine sequentially. Ten (22.7% of 44) patients received electroconvulsive therapy. Seven of those treated with electroconvulsive therapy (15.9% of 44 and 70% of 10) responded well and were discharged, whereas 22 (50% of 44 and 64.7% of 34) of those given lorazepam were discharged. Patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy had a higher initial Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale score. One patient (2.3%) relapsed within 4 weeks of discharge. Twenty (45.5%) of the 44 patients with catatonia had low average iron levels, 14 (31.8%) had low vitamin B12, and 24 (54.6%) had high creatinine kinase.Conclusion:Both lorazepam and electroconvulsive therapy were found to be effective treatments for catatonia with good response and outcomes. The length of hospital stay of patients with catatonia was similar to that of patients without catatonia. Treatment guidelines for catatonia need to include the role and timing of electroconvulsive therapy to augment current treatment protocols for the use of lorazepam.

Electrifying urban Africa: energy access, city-making and globalisation in Nigeria and Benin

Electricity access has become a crucial issue in global South cities. While demand is growing, conventional grids are failing or insufficient, especially in Africa. Urban dwellers therefore have to develop a wide range of (in)formal infrastructures to meet their daily electricity needs. Building on recent studies on urban electricity in the global South, this paper aims to contribute to the debates on hybrid forms of electricity provision by analysing the diffusion of solar panels and generators in two cities, Ibadan in Nigeria and Cotonou in Benin. Although neighbouring and relatively similar, these two cities illustrate distinct daily electrical lives. In Nigeria, an electricity-exporting country, people face daily power outages. In Benin, a country that depends on Nigeria for its supply, there is electricity but it is difficult to connect to the grid because of connection costs. Based on an empirical study, the article shows that Ibadan’s inhabitants use generators as a complement to a conventional grid that is almost universal but unreliable. In Cotonou, solar energy is an alternative until they can connect to the grid. Generators and solar panels have become the material markers of urban Africa, providing information on inequalities in access to electricity.

A Multicentre Observational Study of HIV, TB and Risk of Chronic Lung Disease in Urban West Africa

A Multicentre Observational Study of HIV, TB and Risk of Chronic Lung Disease in Urban West Africa

Rejecting Ethnic Pandering in Urban Africa: A Survey Experiment on Voter Preferences in Nairobi, Kenya

Ethnic pandering, in which candidates promise to cater to the interests of coethnic voters, is presumed to be an effective strategy for increasing electoral support in Africa’s emerging multiethnic democracies. However, ethnic political mobilization may be disdained by citizens for its divisive and polarizing effects, particularly in urban areas. As a result, pandering may fall on deaf ears among Africa’s urban voters. This study examines how voters in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, respond to ethnic pandering using data from a vignette experiment conducted in 2015 and a replication study implemented in 2016. Results show that respondents are more supportive of candidates who make ethnically inclusive rather than targeted appeals, regardless of whether the candidate is identified as a coethnic. We propose that the results are driven by a broad distaste among urban voters for parochial politics, rather than by strategic calculations related to candidate viability.

A nutrition screening tool for predicting birth outcomes at an antenatal clinic at a regional hospital in urban South Africa

Rationale: Nutrition screening may identify pregnant women at risk of poor birth outcomes. This study aimed to develop such a tool in pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic at a regional hospital in urban South Africa.

This is Ficgayo: An Explorative Account of How Possibilities Materialize in Urban Africa

In this article, I explore how possibilities materialize in public spaces and how the potential of multiple possibilities can be studied ethnographically. Ficgayo, a multipurpose venue in the city Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, is the protagonist in this endeavor. Examining the relationship between this venue and possibilities, the article presents empirical accounts, which enable broader theoretical reflections focused on the experience of doing ethnographic research, urban practices, and temporality. Beyond notions of space and place, it suggests understanding Ficgayo as a case of materialized relationality, which emerges as a product of the researcher becoming-with Ficgayo, along with multiple practices in the now. It argues for the epistemological potential of a spatial perspective and, thus, a possible way of knowing cities in Africa beyond binary notions.

Pentecostal Theology, Identity Politics, and Racialized Xenophobia: Claiming A New Social Order

Abstract Applying the methodological lens of ethnographic theology, the article argues that grounded Pentecostal theologies participate in reimagining a new social order, particularly in relation to racialized xenophobia. This argument is made in the specific context of two Pentecostal churches in Johannesburg, South Africa, both led and frequented by people who have come to Johannesburg from other parts of the African continent. The argument is outlined by unpacking three theological themes prominent in the collected ethnographic data: positive confession, Word-centred ecclesiology, and Christlike lifestyle. Taken together, these themes highlight a social conscience that other societal actors would do well to take seriously when considering combatting xenophobia. Overall, the article challenges the scholarly emphasis on Pentecostal theologies as uninterested in life-affirming structural change, building on Nimi Wariboko’s formulation of blackness, chosenness, and Nigerian Pentecostalism ‘that reads against the existing social order’ within the particular context of xenophobia in urban South Africa.