Navigating Freetown's housing challenges

11/10/22 • 57 min

What is ACRC’s research in Freetown all about? How does housing connect with land, youth employment and the rising costs of imported materials? How do political systems both help and hinder meaningful change? What attention is paid to informal settlements? Does the government’s agenda intersect with residents’ needs, and where are the gaps? And how can these gaps be explored and understood, to drive forward urban reform processes?
These are some of the key questions explored as part of a recent radio segment on Radio Democracy 98.1 FM’s Freetown Urban Talk, which brought together key ACRC researchers from the housing and informal settlements domains for a conversation about ongoing work in the city.
Francis Reffell is the founder of the Centre of Dialogue on Human Settlement and Poverty Alleviation (CODOHSAPA), a non-profit organisation providing technical support to its community counterpart and SDI affiliate, the Federation of Urban and Rural Poor (FEDURP). He leads ACRC’s research on informal settlements in Freetown alongside Braima Koroma.
Joseph Macarthy is executive director of the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC) and leads ACRC’s work on housing in Freetown alongside Zuzana Hrdlickova.
Alexandre Apsan Frediani is a principal researcher in the human settlements group at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and leads ACRC’s housing domain alongside Ola Uduku.
----
Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer
Sounds: Zapsplat
This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:
> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
> YouTube
> X (Twitter)

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:
> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
> YouTube
> X (Twitter)

Previous Episode

Energy and infrastructure with Amani Abou-Zeid

In this episode, Amani Abou-Zeid – African Union Commissioner in charge of infrastructure, energy and ICT – talks to ACRC's city of systems lead Seth Schindler about energy security and infrastructural development in Africa.
They reflect on Africa's energy "evolution" in relation to climate change, why integration is key to bridging the continent's infrastructure gap, the impact of rising interest rates on foreign and local investment, and the regional innovation and cooperation that has emerged in response to multiple crises, including Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine.
Amani Abou-Zeid is the twice-elected African Union Commissioner in charge of infrastructure, energy and ICT, and is also chair of ACRC's consortium advisory group. She holds a PhD in social and economic development from the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester.
Seth Schindler is senior lecturer in urban development and transformation at The University of Manchester's Global Development Institute and co-research director of ACRC.
----
Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer
Sounds: Zapsplat
This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:
> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
> YouTube
> X (Twitter)

Next Episode

Community-led research with Eva Muchiri and Nicera Wanjiru

"A project comes, a project leaves. The community will always remain. But now, what do you leave in that community?"
In this episode, Miriam Maina talks to Eva Muchiri and Nicera Wanjiru from Muungano wa Wanavijiji – the Kenyan federation of slum dwellers – about data collection and mapping, the importance of communities in driving research agendas and outcomes, and the legacy that programmes like ACRC leave behind in communities.
Eva Muchiri is from the informal settlement of Mathare in Nairobi and is a youth federation member and woman leader.
Nicera Wanjiru is a woman leader and community data collector and mapper from Nairobi's Kibra informal settlement.
Miriam Maina is from Nairobi and is a postdoctoral research fellow at the African Cities Research Consortium.
----
Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer
Sounds: Zapsplat
This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:
> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
> YouTube
> X (Twitter)

African Cities - Navigating Freetown's housing challenges

Transcript

Intro Welcome to the African Cities Podcast.

Osman Kamara Hello, good afternoon and welcome to a special programme coming to you live from 98.1 FM. And in the studios this afternoon I have three of my panellists and we're going to talk on the urban, the Freetown Urban Talk. That's the name of the programme this afternoon. And as I earlier on told you, I have three panellists and to my immediate right if you can introduce yourself, sir.