The Africa Urban Lab (AUL) and the African Leadership Excellence Academy (AFLEX) have announced their formal collaboration to promote urban leadership development, engage in research, and establish an award to recognize outstanding contributions to urban leadership.
AUL is a new research center under the African School of Economics campus in Zanzibar (ASE-Z). The Lab is dedicated to training the African city builders, planners, and urban leaders of tomorrow to harness rapid urbanization for human prosperity. The AUL will also examine more innovative approaches to grappling with Africa’s massive urban expansion over the coming decades, including the role charter cities and new city developments can play.
AFLEX, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is a teaching and research institution committed to empowering current and future leaders in Ethiopia and across Africa. It provides high-quality leadership development programs, research, and collaboration opportunities, addressing critical issues such as governance, sustainable development, and regional integration.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between AUL and AFLEX signifies a formal and substantive partnership to support the ASE-Z campus’s growth through the establishment of the new research center, with emphasis on urban leadership. The collaborative work between the two institutions will help ensure that urban leaders are well-prepared to harness the ballooning growth of African cities to bring about the benefits of density (economic opportunity and growth) rather than the downsides (crime, congestion, and contagious disease, among others).
Key aspects of this partnership include:
Designing and implementing tailored leadership development programs that target diverse groups, including emerging leaders, women, and public sector and urban/city officials.
Sharing best practices and resources to enhance the effectiveness of leadership development with a particular focus on trainings tailored towards city officials working on urban development.
Promoting faculty exchanges and visiting research fellowships
Collaborating on joint research projects and policy analyses that address key issues impacting Africa, focusing on governance, public policy, and sustainable urban development.
This partnership represents a commitment from AUL and AFLEX to foster frontier urban education, effective urban planning, and growth-enhancing urban development in Zanzibar, East Africa, and beyond. By bringing together resources, expertise, and a shared vision, the AUL is poised to become a leading center for urban development research and education in Africa.
About Africa Urban Lab:
The Africa Urban Lab at the African School of Economics aims to train the African city builders, planners, and city leaders of tomorrow to harness rapid urbanization for human prosperity. The AUL will support cutting-edge research on urban issues, provide world-class education in urban studies, and promote applied knowledge through practical learning experiences in real-world settings.
About the Africa School of Economics (ASE):
Since its inception in 2014, ASE has grown into a Pan-African institute of higher learning, renowned for quality research and education, aiming to produce the next generation of scholars, policymakers, and entrepreneurs in Africa.
https://www.africanschoolofeconomics.com/
About the African Leadership Excellence Academy (AFLEX):
AFLEX is committed to empowering current and future leaders in Ethiopia and across Africa. It provides high-quality leadership development programs, research, and collaboration opportunities, addressing critical issues such as governance, sustainable development, and regional integration.
For more information about this collaboration, the AUL, or other inquiries, please contact Heba Elhanafy ([email protected]).