The RISE Africa Discussion Series comprises of a number of thought-pieces that aim to provide a horizontal view (looking into the next 10-20 years) of key ideas which are vital to shaping sustainable African cities, with a specific focus on the UN Decade of Action towards attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

These thought pieces are not intended to be specific to a single context, but rather to provide guidance that can be useful in many African urban contexts and provide a basis for further discourse and to stimulate further debate and discussion.

Each of these offer impressions about a specific topic of sustainability or a way of thinking, and muse about the following questions or chart a different course entirely:

● What is the current state of play for the specific theme
● Who are the people, civil society groups and key institutions that we need to engage with? What are the roles of these different groups?
● How and with whom do we take this discourse forward and turn it into implementable action for change on the ground in the decade ahead?
● What do we need more knowledge about, and what is the most effective/appropriate way to obtain and mobilise this knowledge?
● What actions do we need to take immediately and in the very near future?

Each thought piece is framed by the core orientation of RISE Africa, which is about AFRICA, ACTION, INNOVATION, FUTURE, and URBAN.