‘Urban Transformations in Sierra Leone' Conference, and UCL High Level Visit to the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC) and Njala University:
Monday 17th to Friday 21st June 2019
This week is an exciting and important one for the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC), together with its founding partners The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, University College London (DPU, UCL) and the Institute of Geography and Development Studies, Njala University (IGDS, NU).
In 2019 the UCL Bartlett Faculty is celebrating its 100th year, and we are taking the opportunity to welcome a high level delegation from UCL – including the Vice Provost (International), Dame Nicola Brewer and Pro-Vice Provost for Africa and the Middle East, Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu – to Sierra Leone. The visit this week is an opportunity for all three institutions (NU, UCL and SLURC) to consolidate and further cultivate the international collaboration that led to SLURC’s founding, through meetings with important stakeholders and a visit to Njala University’s Makonde campus on Thursday 20th June.
To coincide with the visit, SLURC is convening a conference on the theme “Urban Transformations in Sierra Leone” on Wednesday 19th June from 9am to 4pm at the British Council in Freetown. The conference will facilitate dialogues on how research on urban development in Freetown can be applied to influence policy and planning practices towards the transformation of informal settlements in Sierra Leone. The conference is structured around SLURC’s four key thematic areas of research, namely Urban Health; Urban Livelihoods and the City Economy; Urban Vulnerability and Resilience; and Land and Housing.
By providing a platform for the engagement of a wide range of urban stakeholders, from city to national government, CBOs to NGOs, academia to community members, the conference aims to directly inform the implementation of the Transform Freetown Plan, and Sierra Leone’s new National Development Plan. Amongst other distinguished guests, the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr will provide the view of Freetown City Council on urban issues in her opening statement.
For further updates on all the activities follow SLURC on Twitter (@SLURC_FT) and Facebook (@SLURC) throughout the week, as well as the hashtag #UrbanTransformationsSL.
SLURC’s mission has always been to work with communities, their organisations and other stakeholders to build capacity and create knowledge about informal settlements that leads to improved well-being of those living in informal settlements. By drawing from UCL and NU’s academic partnership of equivalence, we have become a regional centre of excellence with a strong research capacity. Through our activities this week we are moving the agenda on urban issues forward, not just for Freetown but for all cities and towns in Sierra Leone.
The conference and high-level delegation visit have been featured in several newspapers and TV stations in Sierra Leone - click here for links.
Presentations and publications from the research featured in the conference are available to download here.
For more information, please contact Thomas Doughty, Communications and Knowledge Management Officer (SLURC), by email: [email protected], phone call: +232 75934742, or Whatsapp: +44 7510791798.
In 2019 the UCL Bartlett Faculty is celebrating its 100th year, and we are taking the opportunity to welcome a high level delegation from UCL – including the Vice Provost (International), Dame Nicola Brewer and Pro-Vice Provost for Africa and the Middle East, Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu – to Sierra Leone. The visit this week is an opportunity for all three institutions (NU, UCL and SLURC) to consolidate and further cultivate the international collaboration that led to SLURC’s founding, through meetings with important stakeholders and a visit to Njala University’s Makonde campus on Thursday 20th June.
To coincide with the visit, SLURC is convening a conference on the theme “Urban Transformations in Sierra Leone” on Wednesday 19th June from 9am to 4pm at the British Council in Freetown. The conference will facilitate dialogues on how research on urban development in Freetown can be applied to influence policy and planning practices towards the transformation of informal settlements in Sierra Leone. The conference is structured around SLURC’s four key thematic areas of research, namely Urban Health; Urban Livelihoods and the City Economy; Urban Vulnerability and Resilience; and Land and Housing.
By providing a platform for the engagement of a wide range of urban stakeholders, from city to national government, CBOs to NGOs, academia to community members, the conference aims to directly inform the implementation of the Transform Freetown Plan, and Sierra Leone’s new National Development Plan. Amongst other distinguished guests, the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr will provide the view of Freetown City Council on urban issues in her opening statement.
For further updates on all the activities follow SLURC on Twitter (@SLURC_FT) and Facebook (@SLURC) throughout the week, as well as the hashtag #UrbanTransformationsSL.
SLURC’s mission has always been to work with communities, their organisations and other stakeholders to build capacity and create knowledge about informal settlements that leads to improved well-being of those living in informal settlements. By drawing from UCL and NU’s academic partnership of equivalence, we have become a regional centre of excellence with a strong research capacity. Through our activities this week we are moving the agenda on urban issues forward, not just for Freetown but for all cities and towns in Sierra Leone.
The conference and high-level delegation visit have been featured in several newspapers and TV stations in Sierra Leone - click here for links.
Presentations and publications from the research featured in the conference are available to download here.
For more information, please contact Thomas Doughty, Communications and Knowledge Management Officer (SLURC), by email: [email protected], phone call: +232 75934742, or Whatsapp: +44 7510791798.