UNILAG Hosts Southern Urbanism Conference as Experts Examine Future of African Cities
By Cynthia Okere, Lagos
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has brought together academics, urban planners and other professionals from Nigeria and abroad to examine the challenges associated with Africa’s rapidly changing cities and explore more sustainable approaches to rural and urban development.
The discussions are taking place at the 2026 Southern Urbanism Conference (Southern Urbanism Co-Net 2026), a two-day international conference which opened on Monday, August 24, at the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre, UNILAG.
The conference, themed “Negotiating Rural-Urban Futures,” is jointly hosted by the Departments of Interior Architecture and Design and Urban and Regional Planning under the university’s Faculty of Architecture.
Declaring the conference open, UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, said the increasing pace of urbanisation across Africa requires solutions that reflect the realities of the continent rather than relying solely on approaches developed elsewhere.
She noted that Lagos, as one of Africa’s most populous cities, provides an important example of the pressures associated with rapid urban growth and the need for practical solutions that improve living conditions while protecting the environment.
Ogunsola called for greater emphasis on resilience, environmental sustainability, indigenous materials and locally relevant innovations in the planning and development of cities. She also urged researchers and professionals to move beyond identifying urban problems to developing workable solutions.
Conference Chairman, Dr Mokolade Johnson, said the Southern Urbanism Co-Net was established to rethink approaches to urban development and generate practical recommendations for challenges facing Lagos, Nigeria and other African cities.
According to him, the initiative is also exploring urbanisation through lived experiences, storytelling and different forms of knowledge in an effort to broaden the way cities are understood and planned.
Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Professor Kayode Adebayo, identified uncontrolled rural-to-urban migration as one of the persistent challenges confronting cities. He also expressed concern that despite years of research and recommendations on urban development, poor implementation continues to limit meaningful progress.
The conference has an international outlook, with keynote speakers and participants drawn from Nigeria and countries including Japan, France, Mali and China. Researchers and other resource persons are also presenting papers on different aspects of rural and urban transformation.
Ahead of the main conference, UNILAG hosted a Students’ Workshop and Exhibition from August 17 to 22, providing participants with an opportunity to examine Lagos and develop ideas around contemporary urban and spatial challenges.
Organisers say the wider Southern Urbanism programme is intended to deepen understanding of migration, infrastructure, environmental pressures, governance and other forces shaping settlements across Africa and the Global South, while encouraging more equitable and sustainable approaches to future development.