Maiduguri is regarded as one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as possibly, the most dangerous zone of unrest in West Africa with the potential and need for urban reform. Water, sanitation, health and hygiene, agriculture and food flows, transportation, telecommunications, education, security (law and order), land, religion, and ethnicity are city systems investigated in this project, which the African Contemporary Institute of Design is carrying out in collaboration with the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC). For a city like Maiduguri, these systems are very central to the living conditions, lifestyles of the resident population and overall development.

Taking a participatory approach, this study engages relevant government officials, civil society actors, and members of local communities through interviews, questionnaires, and focus group discussions. Through this, we identify gaps in literature, policy and practice, highlight interplays across these systems and formulate strategies or interventions to achieve sustainable and inclusive development. Thus, influencing future urban research in and for Africa.

The project has been on for over a year and is now at its final stage. It will be concluded in the first quarter of 2023.