Description

This assignment was commissioned under an EU-funded initiative to support the strategic positioning of EU Delegations in six African countries in the field of sustainable urban development. The objective was to conduct a rapid diagnostic of each country’s urban context and identify priority areas for EU engagement and investment. The focus included a broad range of thematic areas such as urban mobility, local governance, climate resilience, green infrastructure, public finance, and private sector development. JESCA Solutions led the overall coordination, analytical design, and stakeholder engagement for this multi-country urban strategy exercise.

Activities

• Defined scopes of work to identify potential strategic priorities and funding opportunities tailored to each country context
• Designed the methodology, research questions, data collection and analysis framework, and reporting templates used across all six country assessments
• Supervised and coordinated the preparation of six country scoping documents, six preliminary assessments, and six comprehensive diagnostic reports covering key topics such as urban planning, digital governance, local finance, PPPs, waste management, climate change, ecotourism, blue economy, migration, and urban corridors
• Led and coordinated the work of six high-level national urban experts to ensure quality, consistency, and contextual accuracy
• Provided overall strategic guidance and ensured coherence across countries and workstreams
• Coordinated with local EU Delegations and served as the main liaison with DEVCO C5 at the European Commission
• Engaged with national and local stakeholders to inform the design of diagnostic activities and validate preliminary findings