Brazzaville, Yamoussoukro, Sfax and Touba join the African Cities Program

On 9 June 2026, the Oversight Committee of the Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) approved the integration of four new cities into the African Cities Program (ACP): Yamoussoukro (Côte d’Ivoire), Sfax (Tunisia), Brazzaville (Republic of Congo), and Touba (Senegal).

The African Cities Programme (ACP) is one of the UMDF flagship initiatives supporting African cities in planning for sustainable, climate-resilient and investment-ready urban development. Through a participatory process combining technical analyses, stakeholder consultations and strategic planning workshops, cities assess urban growth trends, infrastructure needs, governance challenges and climate-related risks that may affect their development.

The programme culminates in the preparation of a City Action Plan, a strategic roadmap that prioritizes investments and identifies transformative projects capable of mobilizing public and private financing.

By integrating climate risk assessments and linking urban planning with project preparation, ACP helps cities strengthen their resilience, enhance their attractiveness to investors and development partners, and translate their long-term development priorities into concrete and implementable initiatives

The four new cities joining the Program in June 2026

Yamoussoukro (Côte d’Ivoire)

The political and administrative capital of Côte d’Ivoire, Yamoussoukro is experiencing sustained urban growth, increasing demands on mobility, infrastructure, and land management systems. UMDF support will build on the city’s recently adopted urban development strategy and help translate its priorities into concrete projects capable of attracting development financing.

Sfax (Tunisia)

Tunisia’s second-largest city and the economic hub of the country's southern region, Sfax is a major industrial, logistics, and port center facing significant environmental and climate adaptation challenges. ACP support will focus on urban mobility, sustainable infrastructure, and improvements to the urban environment.

Brazzaville (Republic of Congo)

The capital of the Republic of Congo and a metropolitan area of more than two million inhabitants, Brazzaville faces challenges linked to rapid population growth. Informal settlements are expanding quickly, often lacking basic services and remaining highly vulnerable to flooding. UMDF support will focus on priorities identified by the city, including infrastructure and service deficits, urban mobility, and climate resilience.

Touba (Senegal)

Senegal’s second-largest urban center, Touba is experiencing exceptional demographic growth. As a major spiritual center in West Africa, the city also welcomes millions of pilgrims every year. The program will support the municipality in planning for this growth, with particular attention to transport, basic service delivery, and strengthening resilience to climate change.

A total of ten cities in the 2026 cohort

These four new municipalities join the six cities approved by the UMDF Oversight Committee in December 2025: Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), N’Djamena (Chad), Pointe-Noire (Republic of Congo), Wakiso District (Uganda), Las Anod (Somalia), and Freetown (Sierra Leone).

With these new approvals, the ACP 2026 cohort now comprises ten cities across the African continent, further demonstrating the program’s ambition to support local governments in preparing resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban investments.