Financing Infrastructure in African Cities

The world is urbanizing fast. In less than a century more than 1 billion people have been urbanized. That translates into the fact that more than half of the world’s population is already living in cities. Experts forecast that very soon Africa will become one of the most urbanized continents. However, almost 70% of world’s urban population is living in the cities where governments are struggling to provide basic services like sanitation, schools, hospitals, and adequate clean water.

The reason is that, their governments do not have enough money. Poor infrastructure affects daily life. Local governments struggle with mobilizing finances so that they can improve quality of life but many times they are not aware of the right mechanisms.

Imagine that a government wants to know how can they finance cities and they want advice –this course will help answer where to begin. Its finance experts are bringing their experience right at participant’s Desk through this MOOC. This MOOC has five modules and in five weeks students will learn:
• Financial decision making environment in urban systems
• Mechanisms for mobilizing local revenues
• Innovative mechanisms for financing infrastructure projects through partnerships, and
• Financial decision making under uncertainties and risks

It will provide you a carefully selected set of literature, quizzes and interactive discussion forums. Join MOOC and find out the ways to make a city a better place to live in.

This MOOC was developed in collaboration with the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG-Africa), African Local Governments Academy (ALGA), and Erasmus University Rotterdam.