FES Just City at AUF2: Housing Justice and Democratic Urban Financing

The Second Africa Urban Forum (AUF2), taking place in Nairobi from 8–10 April 2026 under the theme “Adequate Housing for All: Advancing Socio-economic and Environmental Transformation towards Agenda 2063”, will feature two major contributions from Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) through its Just City Project. Building on years of advocacy and research across Africa, FES will convene one parallel event and one side event, both designed to highlight the intersection of housing justice and democratic financing in urban development.

Alongside the AUF sessions, FES will host two side sessions to showcase country-level experiences from Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya, where FES has supported participatory housing advocacy and policy reform. The events will bring together government representatives, civil society organizations, private sector actors, academia, and international partners to discuss pressing housing challenges, policy frameworks, and governance reforms. A central theme will be the integration of informal settlements into formal urban structures, ensuring secure tenure and access to services. The dialogue is expected to generate policy recommendations on housing reforms and participatory governance, feeding directly into AUF2 outcomes and future African Union frameworks.

This session gathers a diverse group of stakeholders involved in housing policy and urban development across Africa to reflect on national experiences, challenges, and solutions for advancing adequate housing for all. Through country-level case studies, participants will examine key barriers to implementing Agenda 2063, share innovative strategies for promoting socially just housing policies, and highlight lessons learned from various contexts.

This session features a presentation of the working paper “Financing the Just City: Urban Infrastructure Development Financing and Participatory Democracy,” offering an in-depth look at the evolution, trends, and key debates shaping urban infrastructure financing in Africa. It will explore how financing models intersect with governance systems and the role of participatory democracy in ensuring inclusive and equitable urban development.

Following the presentation, expert discussants will provide critical reflections on financing structures, governance frameworks, and the opportunities and challenges of fostering meaningful democratic participation in urban development processes. The session creates a space for dialogue on how cities can be financed in ways that are not only efficient, but also socially just and responsive to citizens’ needs.

The parallel event at the Sarova Stanley Hotel in Nairobi focuses on the financing challenge at the heart of Africa’s urban transformation. As public funds and overseas development assistance decline, privatized models such as public-private partnerships, blended finance, and joint ventures are becoming more prominent.

This session interrogates the implications of these shifts for transparency, accountability, and democratic legitimacy. Panelists, including Jeremmy Okonjo of the University of Warwick, Dianne Wakonyo, an Urban Management Specialist & Architect, and civil society leaders, will explore how financing innovations can support inclusive, participatory, and accountable urban development.

The event aims to identify emerging models that reconcile resource mobilization with democratic governance, offering pathways to sustainable housing finance aligned with Agenda 2063.

By convening diverse stakeholders and amplifying marginalized voices, FES’s Just City initiative will ensure that AUF2 discussions on housing and urban development are grounded in both grassroots realities and systemic challenges.

Both the parallel event and the side events address financing models and their democratic implications, emphasizing localized advocacy and participatory housing governance.

Together, these contributions position FES as a bridge between knowledge and policy, reinforcing AUF2’s mission to advance adequate housing for all as a cornerstone of Africa’s socio-economic and environmental transformation.