In a fresh initiative to strengthen urban infrastructure and services across Africa, a new fund is set to offer grants of up to $75,000 to teams working on technology-enabled solutions for cities.
The fund, dubbed the African Cities Innovation Fund, was launched by the Judith Neilson Foundation in partnership with the Million Lives Collective (MLC), a global network that supports social ventures. Its aim: to support joint teams, combining startups, civic organisations and public-sector actors to build digital or infrastructural tools for transport, climate resilience, and access to essential services in African cities.
The grants will back the design and pilot phase of one collaborative project per award, rather than funding single organisations acting alone. This comes at a critical moment: infrastructure growth on the continent has lagged far behind rapid urban population growth, Africa’s urban population is expanding at about 3.5% a year, and is set to nearly double to roughly 1.4 billion people by 2050.
Organisers say the fund is a test of a broader philanthropic shift: moving away from isolated startup funding toward collaborative, multi-stakeholder projects involving civic groups, governments and tech innovators working together.
According to MLC’s Senior Programme Manager, “Across the continent, innovators, community organisations, entrepreneurs, artists and public-sector actors are already finding and scaling new ways to improve mobility, expand access to resources and services, strengthen local economies, create safe and vibrant public spaces, and build resilience to climate and economic shocks.”
In practical terms, the fund targets areas like climate-resilient infrastructure, youth mobility, digital access and community wellbeing, sectors that often cut across government, private sector and civil society.
Rapid urbanisation across Africa has put enormous pressure on public infrastructure. According to recent analyses, as urban populations swell, cities become critical engines of economic growth, contributing a large share of national GDP, enabling access to markets, jobs, services, and enabling economies of scale in infrastructure investment.
By supporting tech-based urban solutions (for transport, utilities, waste management, access to services), the African Cities Innovation Fund could unlock not only improved quality of life but also stimulate job creation, attract investment, and raise productivity across urban economies, helping steer cities toward being sustainable engines of growth rather than liabilities.
