The Urban Activist, Not just dreamers but doers

The wellbeing of many urban communities is under immense threat. City people have waged local battles with solution-driven initiatives on diverse global issues affecting their daily lives. If we don’t shed light on these local actions, then local governments and other potential partners may miss important ways to make their cities and communities more resilient and sustainable.

This event, chaired by the publisher of The Urban Activist, introduces you to urban Africans, including locals from Cairo, who are remarkably taking on the problem of mounting waste while transforming their communities into green, resilient and thriving societies.

In a panel discussion, we will hear two successful local initiatives on informal waste collection and recycling in Cairo: Very Nile and the renowned Zabaleen. Also, Yayra Agbofah will speak about The Revival, his movement to upcycle global textile waste coming to the world’s largest second-hand textile market in Accra, Ghana. And finally, the founder of Komb Green Solutions will enlighten us about how young Africans have abandoned a life of crime for the creation of a green sanctuary along the banks of the Nairobi river, cleaning it up, and educating their community about waste in the informal settlement of Korogocho, Nairobi. They will all show their boldness in shifting the narrative of what African cities are and can be.

Panelists will also discuss how city administrations could embrace these local actions. Policymakers have attempted to leverage informal waste collection to increase recycling rates. But progress is slow. Informal workers, who pick valuable waste from households and clean streets or urban rivers, remain in the shadows. Yet they are on the front line of the environmental fight – with tangible solutions while empowering the most marginalized members of society. These initiatives represent an immense opportunity to create local green economies that benefit all.