URBAN2063 SPECIAL REPORT | Africa’s cities are at a tipping point. Rapid growth, informal work, and underinvestment have left millions, including young people, struggling to access housing, basic services, and economic opportunity. But change is possible.

An Unstoppable Force, a Special Report by the Urban2063 coalition, brings together leading voices shaping Africa’s urban future. Contributors, some of whom spoke and facilitated sessions at the U20 Mayoral Summit in Johannesburg in October 2025, share practical solutions: low-carbon construction, youth-led enterprises, investment in public digital infrastructure, and policies that balance economic growth with climate resilience.

Acesss this report via: https://urban2063.org/special-report/

The Urban2063 Coalition partners include:

African Centre for Cities, Association of African Planning Schools (AAPS), African Climate & Development Initiative, Arup – Africa, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Africa, @cityscapesmag, Centre for Sustainability Transitions, Climate KIC, Club of Rome, GSMA, Overseas Development Institute (ODI Global) Urban Futures Studio – Utrecht University, WIEGO – Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), World Resources Institute (WRI).

More about Urban2063 Coalition

Urban2063 is a coalition that puts sustainable urbanisation at the centre of Africa’s structural transformation. Anchored in Agenda 2063, it brings together thirteen organisations working to ensure that Africa’s cities become drivers of growth, resilience, and equity. Find out more on www.urban2063.org