Partners Overview

The African Metropolitan Governance and Infrastructure Network is an ambitious pan-African initiative jointly coordinated by the South African Cities Network (SACN) and the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO), in partnership with the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB). The Network brings together stakeholders from metropolitan regions across the African continent to respond to the complex governance and infrastructure challenges arising from rapid urbanisation and to take advantage of the opportunities presented by agglomeration.

The Network’s core mission is to strengthen metropolitan governance structures and practices, foster knowledge exchange and stimulate practical, innovative solutions tailored to Africa’s diverse urban contexts. It recognises the urgent need for effective governance systems capable of navigating the pressures of urban growth, socio-economic development, spatial transformation and environmental sustainability.

Launched with an online introductory meeting on 6 August 2025, the initiative gathers city-region leaders, experts and practitioners to engage in dialogue and share their metropolitan experiences. Participants are invited to present key features of their metropolitan regions, highlight governance challenges, and propose actionable strategies for inclusion in future regional and international urban agendas. This process will contribute to the development of a collective African position paper for submission at the World Metropolitan Summit (WMS) in Barcelona, October 2025, which will inform a broader resolution to be submitted to UN-Habitat in conjunction with other regions, namely Latin and Central America and Europe.

The African Metropolitan Governance and Infrastructure Network provides a dynamic platform for advocacy, peer learning, and building resilient partnerships for the future of Africa’s urban landscapes.

GCRO receives a core grant from the GPG. GCRO’s partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government forms the foundation of its efforts to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and well-informed region. By aligning research with provincial priorities, GCRO offers evidence-based insights that support strategic planning, policy development, and service delivery. This collaboration ensures that data and innovation are directly used to tackle real-world challenges, enabling the government to make smarter decisions for the benefit of all residents in Gauteng.

The GCRO, in collaboration with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) and universities based in the Gauteng City-Region, has entered a formal partnership to foster research, teaching and knowledge exchange on issues of metropolitan governance, food and food safety, the automotive industry, oral history, economy, sustainable agriculture, and rural development. This engagement reflects the long-standing friendship and political solidarity between the Gauteng Province and Reggio Emilia, dating back to the anti-apartheid struggle. The three-year agreement promotes cooperation between the Gauteng and Reggio Emilia city-regions, with a focus on collaborative projects, joint academic activities, and comparative research supporting inclusive and innovative urban development.

Areas of cooperation reflect the diverse and multidisciplinary nature of the partnership. The collaboration is grounded in the principles of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its associated Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, it contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by strengthening international cooperation, and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) by fostering globally relevant, high-quality education and research opportunities across institutions.

The partnership between SALGA Gauteng and GCRO is founded on a shared commitment to enhancing local governance through data-driven insights and collaborative research. By working together, the two organisations support municipalities across Gauteng with evidence-based tools and knowledge that improve planning, service delivery, and community engagement. This relationship helps bridge the gap between research and practice, ensuring that local government decisions are informed, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of residents.

The AfricaMobility Network (AMN) was launched in June 2020 as a dynamic, informal platform connecting mobility practitioners from across four city-regions, including Dakar, Gauteng, Maputo, and Barcelona. Initially fostered under the Metropolis Association framework, the network was designed to facilitate collaboration through the project ‘Mobility in African City-Regions: Towards Effective Indicators and Governance’. This initiative focused on sharing expertise around mobility governance challenges, promoting sustainable transport solutions, and developing relevant indicators to improve metropolitan governance in African contexts.

Phase One, spanning from May 2021 to December 2024, saw an active exchange of ideas and experiences through a series of online and in-person workshops. These gatherings centred on critical themes such as managing informality in transit, implementing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, and the role of metropolitan transport authorities. Highlights included workshop sessions in Barcelona, Gauteng and Dakar, which culminated in the development of a comprehensive project report capturing diverse approaches to improving urban mobility governance.

Building on this foundation, Phase Two, commencing in 2025, aims to deepen knowledge sharing and expand the network by inviting more African city-regions to join. A key feature of this phase is a deliberate effort to bridge the gap between academic research and practical implementation, supported by the GCRO. Phase Two encourages ongoing peer engagement to develop innovative mobility solutions that address common challenges and enhance service delivery across the continent, strengthening the network as a vibrant hub for African urban mobility practitioners.

The GCRO’s partnership with the University of Johannesburg strengthens its commitment to inclusive, cutting-edge urban research. UJ brings a dynamic, socially engaged academic perspective that complements GCRO’s mission to inform policy and planning in Gauteng. Through collaborative research, data analysis, and knowledge-sharing initiatives, this partnership helps generate innovative solutions to the province’s most pressing developmental challenges.

Wits University plays a vital role in GCRO’s mission. Through this partnership, GCRO receives in-kind support from the university, leveraging world-class academic expertise to tackle urgent urban issues, conduct impactful research on spatial development and socio-economic trends, offer strategic policy advice to the government based on evidence and innovation, and promote dialogue among academia, government, and civil society.