Online Workshop 11 "Why urban research matters for Africa's 4th industrial revolution?" by Dr Taibat Lawanson

IFRA-NIGERIA ONLINE WORKSHOPS PROGRAMME 

As you may know, in accordance with the latest government statement regarding measures to contain the COVID-19 virus, IFRA-Nigeria's offices are closed until further notice, library included. However, IFRA’s team has come up with alternative solutions to continue its training activities.

We are hosting a series of online events using Facebook Live as a platform.

11TH ONLINE WORKSHOP: "WHY URBAN RESEARCH MATTERS FOR AFRICA’S 4^TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION"

This eleventh online workshop on "Why urban research matters for Africa's 4th industrial revolution?" will be facilitated by Dr Taibat Lawanson (Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, Unversity of Lagos). It will be held on Tuesday 23rd of June 2020 at 1pm (Nigerian time) on our Facebook page. 

Dr Taibat Lawanson is an associate professor at the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, University of Lagos, Nigeria 

What is the workshop about?

The ‘Africa Rising’ narrative is gaining currency around the world, with smart urbanization being touted as a veritable means of achieving this. In fact, according to Deloitte (2016), Africa is the next big market, and African cities can through the successful adoption of the ideology and technology of the smart city concept become globally competitive. Other authors have emphasized the role of ICT in modern urban infrastructure and promoted it as the key to Africa’s industrial revolution.

Africa is also the world’s fastest urbanizing continent, with pervasive challenges of urban poverty, youth unemployment and urban inequality. This paper interrogates the notion of ‘smart city’ in the African context and argues that its current framings serve the neo-liberal ends of multinational corporations seeking to extend into international markets. It therefore argues that Africa’s industrial revolution lies in understanding the current contexts and challenges of urban life and developing localized solutions that leave no one behind. It concludes by outlining how research can contribute to the development an Afrocentric smart urbanism

How to participate?

It is pretty easy, everybody can participate:

1. Like IFRA-Nigeria’s Facebook Page
2. Click on the link to watch the live on Tuesday 23rd of June at 1pm (Nigerian time).
3. You have the possibility to comment during the live. Please only ask relevant questions in line with the discussion.
4. Toward the end of the session, there is an opportunity for a short Q&A session where the facilitator, Dr Taibat Lawanson will pick up from the comments and answers the questions 

Download the slides for the session