Zimbabwe: Cultivating Food Security in the City - In recent years Zimbabweans have faced severe food shortages and staggering hyperinflation. As a result, residents in the capital, Harare, have increasingly turned to urban gardening. They grow produce just about anywhere they can – in backyards, vacant lots, on roadsides and on rooftops. [AA Urbanisation]

Ghana: New Method to Outwit Building Inspectors - Pieces of information intercepted by The Accra File reveals that prospective owners in the Ledzokuku Krowo municipality have developed a modus operandum to outsmart personnel of the assembly from not marking their buildings, which are sited on waterways and on roadways for demolition. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: 'Abuja Eyes 20 Best Cities in the World' - The drive to position Abuja on the global tourist and investment map informed the actions and policies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Mohammed Adamu Aliero, aimed at entrenching the territory as one of the 20 best cities in the world. [AA Construction]

Samson Mulugeta

For decades, the Senegalese capital of Dakar has stood out as a vibrant, cosmopolitan centre in West Africa, an intoxicating mix of Africa, Islamic influences and French sophistication.

It’s the birthplace of Negritude, the philosophy of black pride and ideas whose strongest champion was Leopold Sedar Senghor, Senegal’s first president. Senghor, the nation’s philosopher-king for nearly 20 years, gave up power willingly, ensuring a democratic tradition that has made Senegal a model of orderly transition in the continent.

The port city is a place that manages to balance a deep Islamic piety with an African joy de vivre that splashes a dash of magnanimity into the sterner version of the faith practiced further north and east.

Dakar was the place chosen by Thabo Mbeki and the African National Congress in the late 1980s for secret meetings with South African business leaders, a step on the road towards the peaceful negotiated transition from apartheid rule in the early 1990s.

Uganda: Throw Kampala City Council Bums Out of Office - To take or not to take over the administration of Kampala City by the Central Government is an issue that has been simmering over the backburners for some time. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Complying With Rules On Gated Streets - "It is understandable that no one will prefer to live where his family will be vulnerable to crime. But then, do the gates really guarantee security? The answer is an emphatic no. The rate at which street gates are being erected within the metropolis in recent time has become very worrisome. These gated streets constitute in most cases serious obstacles to the efficient management of the built environment and in particular to vehicular and pedestrian movement along roads that are funded and maintained from tax payers' money," The was the lamentation of the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola when he met with stakeholders early this year to deliberate on the way out of the ubiquitous street gates in the state. In fact, as at the time of the parley, the major roads in the state were witnessing terrible vehicular traffic due to the inability of vehicles to access adjoining streets which were most time under lock and key once the dusk set in. [AA Urbanisation]

Cameroon: Well-Planted Time Bomb in Yaounde! - Why has relocating petty traders in Yaounde become an impossible task? [AA Urbanisation]

By Proffesor Ndawonde

Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has tabled a draft budget of R23.8 billion for the 2009/10 financial year which begins on 1 July 2009.

According to the city this amount is made up of a capital budget of R5.5 billion and an operational budget of R18.3 billion.

"The bulk of the capital budget is aimed at eradicating infrastructure backlogs which developed over the years and which are required to advance economic growth," said Alderman Ian Neilson, Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Economic and Social Development and Tourism.

The Utility Services Directorate, which provides basic services such as water and sanitation, electricity and refuse removal, will receive the biggest part of the capital budget of over R2 billion.

According to Mr Neilson the capital budget includes a R220 million allocation for the development of landfill infrastructure and R199 million for electricity upgrades across the metropole.

Meanwhile, an amount of R105 million has been budgeted for the Fisantekraal waste water plant and R705 million for the development of the Integrated Rapid Transport System.

The University of Johannesburg Art Gallery will present a solo exhibition, entitled CITIES OF THE WORLD with panoramic works by Titus Matiyane from 10 March to 15 April 2009.

Titus Matiyane (1964), artist, sculpture and musician, lives and works in Atteridgeville, a township near Pretoria. He creates huge panoramic drawings of cities and landscapes all over the world from a bird’s-eye view. The drawings, which vary in size from 6 to 46 meters long, take viewers on an journey through urban landscapes, which Matiyane depicts with a great sense of technique and visionary craftsmanship.

Nigeria: Sanitizing Abuja Parks and Gardens - Some illegally-operated parks and gardens in Abuja were recently demolished by operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). This followed several complaints received from residents who live around the neighborhood parks. [AA Urbanisation]

Rwanda: Bed And Breakfast Services Take Over Kigali Posh Residences - Having a big beautiful home is every person's dream. There are some who have managed to achieve this and millions more are working hard to get to a place where they can be called the proud owners of big, beautiful and expensive villas. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Lagos to Involve Communities in Planning Activities - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Tuesday said that henceforth, communities in the state will be involved in the state's planning activities. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Lagos Battle Against Stray Animals - The menace of stray animals on any major roads in Lagos State can cause terrifying distraction that can lead to serious road accidents. The threat of stray animals become real because Lagos is notorious for various animals wandering about major streets and even highways as if they are part of humanity hustling around the town seeking daily survival. In fact, the practice in the state has been that animals are left to fend for themselves, and as such they move about unrestricted looking for what to eat. They usually return to their bases in the evening. It is only when they do not return home that their owners begin to make frantic efforts about their whereabouts. [AA Urbanisation]

East Africa: Risks And Dividends of Apartment Building Investment - Many beginner real estate investors often find it hard to figure out how they can make money on rental property because the cost of buying land, putting up a building or purchasing property is very high these days. [AA Construction]