The GovLab is seeking applications for its The Multi-City Challenge Africa that aims to solve complex urban problems in collaboration with the people most affected by these problems: the residents of the city.

The programme offers training to public officials of the participating cities to support them in defining challenges and solving them in collaboration with their residents.

It offers the community a space to participate in the design and formulation of public policies and programmes at the local level, allowing them to provide their innovative ideas to overcome these challenges.

The Challenges

The participating cities, Accra, Bahir Dar, Kampala, Kano, and Mutare, have defined three shared challenges to solve together with their communities.

• Reducing waste generation and improving waste management - Accra, Bahir Dar, and Kano.
• Building urban resilience in slums and informal settlements - Accra, Kampala, Kano, and Mutare.
• Integrating the informal economy - Accra, Kampala, and Mutare.

What is a Good Idea?

• The Challenge seeks innovative, low-cost ideas to solve these challenges that can be implemented by the cities in the short term.
• Solutions can include products, services, software, methods, models, public programme designs, and more. Solutions do not need to be novel.
• In fact, something that is in use elsewhere is of great interest but must be supported by evidence that the proposed solution will work in one of the participating cities.

Who can Participate?

• Individuals or organisations interested in working to improve the urban context of the participating cities and, therefore, the quality of life of the residents, can participate regardless of their place of residence. However, The Challenge especially invites the residents of the five participating cities to submit ideas and to evaluate solutions proposed by others.
• Individuals who are relatives of the members of the city teams or of the Multi City Challenge team are excluded from participating in the challenge.

How to Participate?

Participation is divided in two steps:

• Step 1 (4th November - 13th December): Posting an idea to address one of the above three challenges in a city (maximum one idea per challenge per participant) to africa.multicitychallenge.org.
• Step 2 (14th December - 23rd December): Evaluating the ideas that you consider most 1) impactful, and 2) practical.

For more information, visit The Multi-City Challenge Africa.