The University of Nairobi (UoN) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) launched the Center for Urban-Rural Linkages in Africa (CURLA) on Friday, October 13, 2023. The center will play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between urban and rural contexts, facilitating integrated and sustainable development.
CURLA's mission is to promote mutual urban-rural relations, innovative urban and territorial development, and ecological sustainability. The center aims to foster supportive policies, legislation, and accountable governance through research, capacity building, mentoring the youth, and policy dialogue among development actors. CURLA will be housed in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the Faculty of Built Environment and Design at UoN. The centre's website is: https://curla.uonbi.ac.ke/
The launch of CURLA builds upon the just concluded research project "COVID-19 Impacts on Transportation of Food and Related Commodities in the Urban-Rural Nexus," which was implemented jointly by UN-Habitat and UoN to shed more light on the impact of COVID-19 on spatial interactions and flow of food and related commodities between urban and rural areas in Africa. CURLA is the legacy outcome of this project, formed based on the recommendations of the research findings.
Ambassador Jean Kimani, the distinguished Chief Guest of the event, congratulated the dedicated team of researchers for their groundbreaking work and generous dissemination of their findings worldwide. She affirmed her unwavering confidence in the University's ability to effectively implement and diligently pursue CURLA's objectives.
Prof. Stephen Kiama, Vice Chancellor of UoN, expressed his enthusiasm during the event, saying, "Today, and here we are, celebrating the outcome of the COVID-19 Impacts on Transportation of Food and Related Commodities in the Urban-Rural Nexus (COVID-19ITFCURN) Project. The lessons learned from the project outcomes formed the foundation of the conceptualization and establishment of CURLA at the University of Nairobi. The project was implemented by a team of researchers and practitioners from the University of Nairobi, University of Gaston de St Louis du Senegal, University of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development; Ministry of Housing of the Government of Republic of Cameroon and Niger State in Federal Republic of Nigeria, respectively, and the UN-Habitat. In total 5 countries participated in this project; Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Senegal. The Centre will provide a long-term institutional and organizational framework for partnership in research, policy dialogue, outreach, capacity building, and planning on urban-rural linkages in Africa."
Mr. Oumar Sylla, Regional Representative for Africa, UN-Habitat, also speaking at the launch event, said, "UN-Habitat is proud to partner with the University of Nairobi on this and other initiatives. We share in the belief that, by strengthening urban-rural linkages, we can improve livelihoods, protect the environment, and build sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat is committed to using CURLA as one of the vehicles to further its partnership with UoN, Kenya and Africa. I invite all of us to take an active role in shaping the activities of this Center."
During the Launch, the project leads from UoN, Prof. Isaac Karanja, and Dr. Remy Sietchiping from UN-Habitat painted a picture of the in-depth "Road to CURLA" and gave background information on findings from the participating countries and how they will use these findings to inform policy and effect change across the African Continent. The project components sought to synergize the understanding of potential challenges and prospects of Urban-Rural linkage systems and practices in the case study countries. The lessons learnt from the project outcomes formed the foundation of the conceptualization and establishment of the Urban-Rural Linkages Centre for Africa at the University of Nairobi.
CURLA is a beacon of hope for Africa. It represents a commitment to building a more sustainable and equitable future for all Africans. By fostering strong linkages between urban and rural areas, CURLA can help create jobs, improve access to essential services, and boost agricultural productivity.
CURLA is a call to action. It is a call for policymakers, practitioners, and academics to work together to create a more inclusive and prosperous Africa. By supporting CURLA, we can help to build a better future for all Africans.
- Log in to post comments
