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By Correspondent
The Million Lives Collective (MLC), in partnership with the Judith Neilson Foundation (JNF), has launched a major new initiative aimed at unlocking African innovation and shaping the future of urban living across West Africa. The African Cities Innovation Fund (ACIF) is set to provide catalytic support to innovators developing collaborative solutions that promote smart, healthy, equitable, and climate-resilient cities. Nairobi, Kenya, December 4, 2025.
The initiative was announced during the closing plenary of the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA) Global Summit in Nairobi, where it was confirmed that applications for the Fund will open in spring 2026. Through ACIF, pairs of African innovators will be eligible for flexible grants of up to USD 75,000 to jointly design, test, and scale solutions to pressing urban challenges.
“African cities are growing at a dramatic pace, creating huge opportunities, challenges, and change. Ensuring that cities are places where people can thrive calls for imagination, ambition, innovation, and collaboration,” said Abi Taylor, Innovation Lead at the Judith Neilson Foundation. “We’re delighted to partner with the Million Lives Collective to help innovators experiment with new partnerships and generate impact for those who need it most.”
In cities such as Accra, major urban innovations, among them master-planned communities like Appolonia City and Hope City, as well as sustainable development efforts like the Greening and Beautification Project, stand to benefit from the new fund. Initiatives such as Abuja’s Urban Lab, which drives collaborative solutions for waste management, and Fresh Direct’s use of vertical farming in shipping containers to enhance food production and improve public spaces, also represent the types of projects that could be strengthened. Community-driven efforts, such as the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme, which supports residents in improving infrastructure in informal settlements, similarly align with the Fund’s focus.
Beyond grants, ACIF awardees will receive tailored technical assistance, including expert coaching, support in building partnerships, and opportunities to engage with global development leaders through IDIA’s Collaboration Lab, the Collaborative Scaling for Exponential Impact program.
As the Fund prepares to launch, MLC is building a strong pipeline of proven, scale-ready innovations that can help reshape African cities. An open call for new African members is expected in January 2026.
“Across Africa, innovators, community leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, and public institutions are already reshaping urban systems from improving transport and access to essential services to strengthening local economies and climate resilience,” said Jite Phido, Senior Program Manager at MLC and Results for Development. “Our call for innovations aims to elevate these efforts and unlock new pathways for exponential impact through collaborative problem-solving.”
Since 2019, the MLC, drawing inspiration from IDIA member agencies, has worked to advance proven solutions to key development challenges. Collaboration grants piloted since 2022, with support from the Bayer Foundation and the Gates Foundation, have demonstrated the power of partnership in accelerating progress in areas such as health and women’s economic empowerment. ACIF builds on this foundation, offering a model for driving transformative urban change at a time of shrinking aid budgets and increasingly complex global needs.
Highlighting the relevance of the Fund, Edwin Muroki of 4Life Solutions Kenya, an alumnus of the MLC collaboration-grant program, said, “The African Cities Innovation Fund is significant because it promotes the kind of collaboration required for real urban impact. Partnerships with trusted local actors boost community trust, enable local logistics, reinforce behavior change, and sustain quality as solutions scale across diverse African contexts. This fund gives innovators the runway they need to expand confidently into new cities.”
African innovators working on circular production, climate-resilient infrastructure, youth mobility, digital inclusion, and community wellbeing are encouraged to register their interest on the MLC website for upcoming announcements.
