Cities in Africa are increasingly vulnerable to disasters due to a myriad of issues including rapid urbanization, climate change, and limited institutional capacity. Many urban areas are expanding without adequate planning, leading to the growth of informal settlements in high-risk zones. Infrastructure deficits, weak enforcement of building regulations, and insufficient financial and human resources further constrain disaster preparedness and response. Climate-related hazards such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves are intensifying, while governance challenges and data gaps hinder effective risk management. Addressing these challenges requires integrated, inclusive, and locally driven Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies tailored to the African urban context.
Some of the limited institutional capacity can be addressed through exchange of knowledge based on practical examples from city practitioners or other state and non-state actors. As a follow up to the workshop ‘Leading the Way: Disaster Risk Reduction Training for Local Government Champions’, the GIZ projects Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA) and Connective Cities are organizing a virtual session for cities and their stakeholders to exchange knowledge as well as consult on challenges they experience. In the structured collegial consultation session, four case owners will present challenges and get ideas on how to address these from their peers. The objective of this session is to support mutual learning and sharing of experiences that will increase knowledge on DRR