Five cities were chosen for the pilot phase of the Cities Diagnostics, program which supports African cities and municipalities to improve their resilience and manage urban growth and development better through planning, governance, and efficient public services.
They are: Antananarivo (Madagascar), Bizerte (Tunisia), Conakry (Republic of Guinea), Dodoma (Tanzania) and Libreville (Gabon).
The tool was developed by the African Development Bank (AfDB.org), the Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) and the Korea Africa-Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC).
“The new tool will enable city managers and development partners to have a clear understanding of the situation in all the various sub-sectors of the city and allow us to prioritize our work”, says Amadou Oumarou, Director of the AfDB’s Infrastructure and Urban Development Department.
How it works
The Cities Diagnostics tool includes key environmental and urban sustainability indicators; two baseline studies covering disaster risk and vulnerability, and urban footprint growth.
It also includes a public opinion survey covering accessibility and quality of municipal services for water, sanitation, electricity.
Drainage, solid waste management, and other measures of quality of life in cities are also included.
The tool can measure and assess inclusiveness and resilience parameters, strategies, municipal resource mobilization, investments, and public accounts administration.
+ The guideline for the pilot phase – ending in late 2020 – was discussed during a workshop, held on the 25th and 26th September 2019 in Abidjan. The meeting was attended by city managers and international urban development experts. “The urban opportunities far outweigh the challenges,” says Davis G. Mwamfupe, the Mayor of Dodoma.