The need for development approaches that are more responsive to local realities, sustainable, and capable of addressing the pressures created by rapid urbanisation took centre stage at the opening of the 2026 Southern Urbanism Conference (Southern Urbanism Co-Net 2026), which commenced on Monday, August 24, 2026, at the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre, University of Lagos (AMDRC, UNILAG).
Themed “Negotiating Rural-Urban Futures,” the two-day international conference, jointly hosted by the Departments of Interior Architecture and Design as well as Urban and Regional Planning under the Faculty of Architecture, focuses on the growing need to rethink the relationship between rural and urban spaces as African cities continue to expand.
Declaring the conference open, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, described the theme as timely, particularly against the backdrop of the rapid pace of urbanisation and the complex challenges confronting cities across Africa.
Professor Ogunsola noted that the realities of urban growth, particularly in Lagos, one of Africa’s most populous cities, demand indigenous and practical solutions that can improve the quality of life while ensuring environmental resilience and sustainability.
While commending the organisers for creating a platform to interrogate contemporary urban challenges, the Vice-Chancellor called for a shift from merely diagnosing problems to developing and implementing workable solutions that address pressing urban challenges while making rural areas more liveable.
She advocated a thorough reappraisal of how cities are planned and developed, with greater attention to resilience, environmental sustainability, and the use of indigenous materials and locally relevant innovations to make urban development more cost-effective.
Professor Ogunsola reaffirmed UNILAG’s commitment to contributing research, innovation, and expertise towards shaping smarter, more sustainable cities and advancing a future in which African universities and professionals play a leading role in addressing the continent’s urban challenges.
In his opening remarks, the Conference Chair, Dr. Mokolade Johnson, said the Southern Urbanism Co-Net was established to rethink urban development and generate practical recommendations to address pressing urban issues in Lagos, with lessons that could extend to Nigeria and the wider African continent.
According to Dr. Johnson, the conference seeks to chart new directions for urbanisation in Africa through storytelling, lived experiences, and diverse forms of knowledge, while challenging conventional ways of understanding and shaping cities.
Also speaking, the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Professor Kayode Adebayo, expressed concern over the persistence of urbanisation challenges, particularly those arising from uncontrolled rural-to-urban migration.
Professor Adebayo observed that despite the wealth of research and recommendations available on urban development, inadequate implementation remains a major barrier to meaningful transformation.
The opening session featured contributions from partners and collaborators in China, who participated virtually and shared perspectives on urban development and related issues, further strengthening the international outlook of the conference.
This global outlook was further reflected in the distinguished lineup of keynote speakers from Nigeria, Japan, France, and Mali, as indicated below:
- Dr. Steven Ajadi, UNILAG alumnus, University of Cambridge scholar, and architecture/urban planning practitioner at RUBAN Office;
- Professor Oussouby Sacko, Executive Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Cooperation, Japan;
- Christian Pedelahore De Loddis, Director, Architecture Miles Paysage, ENSA Paris La Villette, France;
- Town Planner Muyiwa Adelu, Past President, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), and Chief Executive Officer, City Matters International; and
- Ousman Sow, Technical Assistant to the President of Greater Bamako and former Permanent Secretary/Director of the Greater Bamako Urban Planning Bureau.
The conference also featured special and parallel sessions, during which researchers and other resource persons presented papers and shared perspectives on diverse dimensions of rural-urban transformation.
Through its conversations, research presentations, and knowledge exchange, Southern Urbanism Co-Net 2026 seeks to deepen understanding of the factors shaping African cities and contribute practical ideas towards achieving more equitable, resilient, and sustainable rural-urban futures.
