The Lagos-Johannesburg partnership showcases the Pan-African project

Policymakers at the local/city government level are crucial to continental integration projects like the African free trade agreement and the free movement protocol. However, they are not represented in the African Union (AU) and other international bodies where such projects are negotiated and designed. City-to-city cooperation between Africa’s two major economic hubs, Lagos and Johannesburg, would not only unleash strategic synergies and drive continental integration, but would also leverage private-sector involvement and influence other cities to enter into similar cross-border partnerships.

By Babatunde Fagbayibo, visiting senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute

In May 2017, the then governor of Lagos State in Nigeria, Akinwunmi Ambode, hosted the then premier of Gauteng Province in South Africa, David Makhura, in Lagos to discuss the possibility of cooperation between their two sub-national governments on issues of good governance and trade External link, opens in new window.. Both governments emphasised the geo-strategic importance of their respective regions, and in particular the extent to which cooperation could further enhance the prospects for economic integration in Africa. The two cities in these regions, Lagos and Johannesburg, are two of the largest cities in Africa and, if they were both countries, would be in the top 15 economies in Africa External link, opens in new window.. A follow-up meeting scheduled for September 2017 did not take place, and since then there have been no further efforts to revive the momentum.

The reference to African integration by the two leaders underlines the crucial role that sub-national governments can play in achieving both sub-regional and continental integration. Although often excluded from the design and implementation of key regional integration initiatives, African cities and sub-national governments embody both the promises and the pitfalls of growth and development. African cities are the most rapidly growing cities in the world: since 1990, the population of these cities has increased by 500 million External link, opens in new window.. In the same period, the number of African cities has more than doubled – from 3,300 to 7,600. These cities not only serve as economic engines for their respective countries, but also as important (sub-)regional economic hubs. For example, between 2001 and 2020, rapid urbanisation contributed to 29 per cent of the total average annual per capita GDP growth across Africa, according to OECD estimates External link, opens in new window.. However, African cities also have high levels of inequality, due to poor governance, urbanisation problems, unemployment and crime.

Key continental integration programmes and goals, such as the AU Agenda 2063 External link, opens in new window., the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) External link, opens in new window. processes and the promotion of people-to-people interaction, can be better advanced through the use of sub-national government structures, such as cities and municipalities. One useful way of ensuring this is to look at how strategically important cities can come together to start exploring and experimenting with the implementation of continental integration objectives. The case for Lagos–Johannesburg city-to-city cooperation is one example. Given the two cities’ relative strengths – particularly in terms of hosting major companies, research institutions and robust cultural hubs – cooperation between them could help advance creative ideas for achieving meaningful continental integration in Africa. Their weaknesses – both similar and dissimilar – also provide an opportunity to exchange ideas on solution-oriented strategies.

Cities often not included – three reasons

National governments are the primary decision-making bodies of sub-regional and continental organisations in Africa. Just like non-governmental organisations and the wider civil society, cities and sub-national governments mostly exist on the periphery of the AU’s decision-making process. For example, while the AU’s Agenda 2063 refers to cities as hubs of economic and cultural activity and transport networks, it is silent on the modalities of their involvement in the integration process. Similarly, the AfCFTA Agreement and related documents do not provide structures or mechanisms for involving cities in the implementation of their objectives. Three interrelated points explain the non-inclusion of cities and sub-national governments in Africa’s integration process.

One, ever since independence, African national governments have been pushing at the international level (for example in the AU and its regional economic communities) for the centralisation of decision-making in the hands of national governments (i.e. in their own hands). Most national governments therefore lack institutional channels to inform and involve sub-national governments in the formulation and implementation of regional integration policies. For example, it has been noted that the South African national government lacks a framework External link, opens in new window. to properly coordinate and, where necessary, support the international engagement of sub-national governments. Similarly, it has been observed that while sub-national governments in Nigeria have, in several instances, engaged as actors on the international arena in terms of attracting foreign direct investment, the federal government lacks a coordinated policy direction External link, opens in new window. to either acknowledge these initiatives or include them in its foreign policy objectives.

Two, city councils and similar sub-national governments lack recognised platforms to promote their interests and contribute to many of the national-level policy decisions that directly or indirectly affect their governance. The AU has yet to implement the two instruments that speak directly to their inclusion. The first is the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development External link, opens in new window., which entered into legal force in January 2019 and mandates the AU Commission to support and facilitate the establishment of a consultative forum for collective action by local governments at the continental level. The second is the AU Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation External link, opens in new window., adopted in 2014 but not yet in force; among other things, it aims at promoting cross-border cooperation between local and sub-regional entities and at transforming border areas into catalysts for the political and economic integration of the continent.

Three, many African cities and sub-national governments face a number of domestic challenges that can limit their ability to engage proactively on regional integration issues. These include a lack of technical, human and financial capacity; undue interference by national and (in the case of municipalities) provincial government in their administration; corruption and mismanagement of resources; and overwhelming urbanisation problems that often result in an inability to provide basic social services.

Size and global outlook – mutual features

The case for city-to-city cooperation between Lagos and Johannesburg is based on a number of national and regional dynamics, of which two are mentioned here.

First, the geoeconomic advantage of both cities. Lagos is the most populous city in Africa, with 21 million people, while Johannesburg has over 6 million inhabitants. The two cities are the economic powerhouses of their respective countries: Johannesburg contributes 15 per cent External link, opens in new window. to South Africa’s GDP; and the contribution of Lagos to Nigeria’s GDP is around 20 per cent External link, opens in new window.. Lagos is also home to 90 per cent of Nigeria’s corporate headquarters; it hosts the Nigerian stock exchange; and it attracts 60 per cent of the country’s industrial investment. Meanwhile, Johannesburg is known as the ‘financial capital of Africa’: it is home to the largest stock exchange in Africa; employs 12 per cent of South Africa’s workforce; and 70 per cent of the country’s companies are headquartered in the city. It also remains the richest city in Africa, with a cumulative wealth of USD 235 billion External link, opens in new window. (2021 figures).

Second, both cities have invested in platforms that enhance their international character. The City of Johannesburg has an International Relations Department that coordinates ties with other cities, countries and global networks. More than Lagos, the City of Johannesburg has had years of experience in establishing city-to-city partnerships, and it participates proactively in seven global city networks. It currently has cooperation agreements with eight cities, only two of which are in Africa: Windhoek and Addis Ababa. The 2020 International Relations Strategy 2021–2026 External link, opens in new window. outlines how the City of Johannesburg can play a meaningful role in the implementation of both Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA in the context of its local development priorities. Since there is no Lagos metropolitan municipality, the city administration there is controlled by the sub-national government, i.e. the state government (Lagos state is one of 36 states in the federal republic of Nigeria; it covers not only the city, but also large non-urbanised areas along Nigeria’s south-west coast). The Lagos state government represents the city’s interests in global city networks and has played an active role in recent years in climate change issues at the national and international level. The Lagos Office for Sustainable Development Goals and Investment (Lagos Global) is responsible for establishing city partnerships. While the office is still responsible for investment in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the general investment function has now been moved to the Lagos state Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment. Lagos has no existing city partnerships; however, there are plans to establish cooperation agreements with five cities, one of which is in Africa: Porto-Novo in Benin. The 2022 Lagos State Development Plan 2052 External link, opens in new window. (LSDP) is a comprehensive document that addresses urban challenges. It highlights the potential of Lagos as a key player in the implementation of the AfCFTA. Similar to Johannesburg’s International Relations Strategy, the LSDP places the implementation of regional integration initiatives in the context of local development.

Barriers to meaningful partnership

The proposed relationship between Lagos and Johannesburg in terms of deepening integration efforts is underlined by national, bilateral and regional challenges. First, while both cities drive their respective national economies, they are also microcosms of national contradictions: both are beset by deep and structural levels of poverty, crime and infrastructural challenges. For example, with a Gini coefficient of 0.65, Johannesburg remains the most unequal city on the continent. The World Bank estimates External link, opens in new window. that Lagos’ population increases by nearly 3,000 every day – an exponential growth so massive that it constrains the city’s economic development. The deep levels of inequality in both cities are exacerbated by neoliberal policies External link, opens in new window. that favour the interests of investors over the general populace.

Second, bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa have not run smoothly in recent years. Red flags in the relationship include issues of xenophobia, rigid visa regimes, concerns about the ease of doing business and a non-existent platform for promoting people-to-people relations. The Nigeria–South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) has been largely ineffective in addressing these issues. Furthermore, sub-national governments are not part of the BNC, which limits their understanding of the processes and developments discussed. Similarly, neither country has institutionalised the involvement of sub-national governments in sub-regional and continental integration processes.

Finally, the lack of a continental or sub-regional platform that would allow cities and sub-national governments to interact and share ideas undermines the drive for this kind of cooperation. Platforms such as the Committee of Regions (CoR) External link. in the European Union (EU) or the Mercosur Cities Network External link, opens in new window. (Mercocities) and the Mercosur Advisory Forum of Municipalities, States, Provinces and Departments External link, opens in new window. (FCCR) in Latin America are examples of how other regions have involved sub-national governments in the regional integration process. The advantage of such platforms is that they allow for more coordinated, rather than sporadic, engagement on key integration issues. They also encourage the establishment of other flexible cooperation arrangements by sub-national governments in the context of achieving regional integration. In this sense, cities could engage in a defined timeframe collaboration aimed at achieving specific tasks or projects. One example is the mentorship programme between the city councils of Lilongwe and Johannesburg, where the latter assisted the former to design a city development strategy. Another example is the Mercocities network (established in 1995) that unites more than 300 municipalities in the Mercosur countries to advance the cause of continental integration in South America.

Potential opportunities

While there are significant challenges, a proactive push by policymakers in both cities to establish a partnership could stimulate development and regional integration in a number of ways.

First, there is the PR aspect of such a relationship: the optics of two of the most influential and geo-strategically important African cities working together in the context of regional integration would be an important endorsement of the process. It could further encourage other cities to enter into similar arrangements – or even to approach the two cities with a view to expanding the cooperation.

Second, such a concerted effort could provide a catalyst for the establishment of a consultative forum for sub-national governments at the AU level and also at the sub-regional level, as envisaged by the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development.

Third, the proximity of these cities to influential private-sector actors already engaged in the continental integration process could ensure access to both policies and funding initiatives for projects. In addition to being home to major corporations, Johannesburg is also the seat of three important AU bodies – the Pan-African Parliament, the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). This gives the city an advantage in establishing both formal and informal networks and channels of involvement in the regional integration process.

And finally, joint initiatives by the two cities could serve as a useful lens through which to experiment with and measure the direction of most continental integration objectives.

Policy recommendations

• Pursue (in)formal exploratory channels of engagement: Policymakers from both cities should use both formal and informal channels to discuss the possibility of cooperation. In addition to setting up formal meetings, the cities could meet on the sidelines of the global networks in which they participate. Discussions should focus on areas of alignment in the implementation of regional integration programmes, the exchange of information on local challenges and strengths, and the clear identification of realistic short- to medium-term goals for such cooperation. In aligning this partnership with the continental integration agenda, the cities should also reach out to the African Union Commission and other relevant AU bodies for guidance and collaboration on projects to advance the integration agenda.
• Focus on low hanging fruits: This cooperation should build on the existing strengths of the two cities. The large corporations in both of them could be brought on board to fund initiatives such as youth development, small business capacity building, and research on city cooperation. Similarly, the thriving innovation hubs in both cities could be used to develop fintech strategies and solutions. Key cultural stakeholders such as musicians, artists and performers could likewise play an important role in shaping the agenda on the nature of city-to-city cooperation for continental unity and development. This could be done through cultural exchange programmes, film and music festivals, and an annual cultural carnival that would alternate between the cities.
• Promote evidence-based practice: Research by and between academic and research institutions in both cities should also be encouraged. The existing collaboration between the University of Lagos and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg through the Wits-TUB-UniLag Urban Lab External link, opens in new window. is a model that could be adopted and adapted for multi-focal research into cooperation between the cities. There is also a need to explore the possibility of establishing a public-private sector-led city-to-city observatory to explore the policy dimensions and strategies needed for meaningful cooperation and implementation of ideas.
• Learn from others: The two cities could draw useful lessons from existing city-to-city agreements in the context of regional integration in Europe and Latin America. One such example is the cooperation between the cities of Malmö and Copenhagen External link, opens in new window..