Geci Karuri-Sebina: Frugal Futures and the Power of Local Innovation

In this episode of The Century of Cities, we're joined by Geci Karuri-Sebina, scholar-practitioner and Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand School of Governance, who explores how cities across Africa are redefining progress on their own terms. From Nairobi's post-colonial euphoria of the 1980s to today's era of innovation and shifting power, Geci traces the evolving story of African urbanism, one shaped by frugal creativity, civic technology, and renewed confidence in indigenous knowledge. She envisions cities built not on Western blueprints but on local strength, shared agency, and radical participation, inviting us to rethink who gets to imagine the future and why Africa's story may hold lessons for the world. https://www.scribd.com/document/769944552/COMPASS-Summer-Issue-2023