ACRC Workshop: Advancing Urban Reform through Political Settlement Strategies in African Cities

The Uptake/Political Settlement (PS) Strategy Workshop organized by ACRC Lagos City on Tuesday 15^th April 2025 at the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre, University of Lagos brought together key stakeholders, researchers, and practitioners to develop actionable strategies for advancing urban reform in Lagos. The day-long event fostered collaborative dialogue on aligning action research (AR) with political realities, engaging stakeholders, and targeting reform initiatives across critical sector

Preamble

Recognizing the urgency of inclusive, sustainable, and context-responsive urban reform across African cities, and acknowledging the role of political settlement analysis in understanding power dynamics and shaping practical uptake strategies, there was a unanimous collective commitment to co-creating and advancing urban reform through collaborative research, stakeholder engagement, and targeted action.

Key Outcomes and Action Plan

1. Stakeholder Alignment and Coalition Building

Map and categorize key actors across community, municipal, and city levels using influence-interest frameworks.
Establish cross-sectoral coalitions around Action Research (AR) domains: climate resilience, WASH, and street lighting.
Build trusted relationships with gatekeepers and change agents to unlock reform pathways.

2. Contextualized Uptake Strategies

Tailor engagement strategies to specific political and institutional landscapes in African cities.
Leverage existing community knowledge and data to shape evidence-informed policy dialogue.
Align uptake interventions with ongoing reform windows and institutional entry points.

3. Reform Landscape Engagement

Identify power-brokers, policy champions, and institutional reform anchors across city sectors.
Promote reform-through-learning approaches by embedding iterative dialogue with urban governance structures.
Strengthening the visibility and legitimacy of city-level academic institutions in reform ecosystems.

4. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

Integrate MEL frameworks into AR domains to track uptake, influence, and adaptive learning.
Document success stories, failures, and critical inflection points to inform broader urban reform efforts.
Foster peer-learning among African cities through South-South exchange platforms.

Conclusion and Commitment

We resolve to continue collaborative engagement beyond this workshop, guided by a shared vision of inclusive urban futures. As researchers, practitioners, and urban stakeholders, we commit to turning research insights into actionable reforms that address the lived realities of African city dwellers.

For further details or to download workshop materials, visit: www.chsdunilag.org

Thank you

ACRC Lagos City Manager

Dr Temilade Sesan