Policy-making in dryland Africa

This policy brief provides ten practical recommendations for urban policymakers in dryland Africa to develop inclusive urban climate policies. It emphasizes the need for alternative knowledge production and decision-making models to improve governance, social inclusivity, and innovation in rapidly growing African cities, particularly within informal settlements where residents face high climate risks and lack secure tenure.

• African cities are among the world's fastest growing, with population growth occurring in an expansive manner that leads to land use change rates exceeding population growth rates, causing social and ecological impacts.
• Residents of informal settlements in African cities are frequently located in vulnerable areas and lack access to basic infrastructure and services necessary to mitigate climate risks such as landslides and flooding. Furthermore, a lack of secure tenure discourages investment in housing upgrades and amenities.
• Effective governance systems in cities within emerging economies in the Global South require alternative models of decision-making and knowledge production, focusing on community co-production, transparent and inclusive decision-making, and democratic accountability.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Policy-making in dryland Africa. https://www.sei.org/publications/policy-making-dryland-africa/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Policy-making in dryland Africa. 2021. https://www.sei.org/publications/policy-making-dryland-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Policy-making in dryland Africa |date=1 February 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/policy-making-dryland-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021policymaking, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Policy-making in dryland Africa}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/policy-making-dryland-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }