The Brenthurst Foundation’s ‘Future of African Cities’ project was formally launched at the Tswalu Dialogue at the Kalahari Tswalu Reserve in South Africa in late May 2016. Participants at the dialogue included senior officials representing many of the city case studies that will form the bedrock of the project, as well as global experts on urbanisation and development.

The dialogue was chaired by the Chairman of The Brenthurst Foundation, Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria, and the former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga. The former Prime Minister of Togo, Gilbert Huongbo, and the Premier of Gauteng province (SA), David Makhura, were amongst other notable participants.

The objective of the inaugural dialogue on African cities was to subject the project’s methodology and research questions to critical examination, in the light of international comparisons and best practice.

This Discussion Paper draws on some of the main arguments and insights to emerge from the Dialogue, with particular emphasis on the experience of city practitioners both in Africa and elsewhere.