About
Why AMALI?

A unique offering for city leaders

Africa’s future depends on achieving structural transformation of economies in line with Agenda 2063. This vision depends on Africa’s cities fulfilling their potential as the powerhouses of economic structural transformation and cultural vitality, which demands empowered and capable political leadership of cities. Thus, AMALI support participating leaders with an exclusive, tailored initiative to hone the visions for their cities through 3 key platforms:
The AMALI City Leadership Programme offers a year-long programme that supports mayors in honing the visions for their cities. The participating mayors gain clarity how to translate their legacy goals into action, establish delivery teams, deploy tools to successfully implement their plans and secure support from their constituents and key stakeholders. The programme begins with an immersive, four-day leadership forum at the University of Cape Town, followed by online workshop series and a reunion convening at the end of the programme.
The AMALI Urban Governance Research Lab provides mayors participating in the AMALI City Leadership Programme with synthesised data on their cities to support their transformation action plans.
The AMALI data programme provide participating mayors with technical assistance, access to experts, and other materials to help them enhance their use of data to deliver results that matter to residents.
Advisors & Mentors

Jamie Cooper
Co-chair of the AMALI advisory board
Founder and President of Big Win Philanthropy

Edgar Pieterse
Founding Director of the African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town

Arkebe Oqubay
Advisory board member
Senior Minister, Ethiopia; Professor of Practice, SOAS University of London and University of Johannesburg; and Former Mayor of Addis Ababa

Awa Marie Coll Seck
Advisory board member
Chair of Galien Africa, Former Senior Minister to the President of the Republic of Senegal, Former Minister of Health, Senegal.

Hastings Chikoko
Advisory board member
Senior Director for Cities at Big Win Philanthropy
Former Managing Director of Regions & Mayoral Engagement and Regional Director for Africa, C40 Cities

Idris Jala
Advisory board member
Chairman PEMANDU Associates. Co-Chairman Sunway, ProChancellor Sunway University, Chairman Heineken Msia, Former Minister Malaysia Government, Former CEO Msia Airlines.

James Anderson
Advisory board member
Head of Government Innovation programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies; Former Communications Director to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, United States of America

Kivutha Kibwana
Former Governor of Makueni County, Kenya; Former Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Kenya

Luísa Dias Diogo
Former Prime Minister of Mozambique; Former Deputy Minister of Planning and Finance, and Former Minister of Planning and Finance, Mozambique

Mamphela Ramphele
Co-president of the Club of Rome; Chair of Desmond Tutu IP Trust; Former Vice Chancellor of University of Cape Town; Former Managing Director at the World Bank

Enrique Penalosa
Former Mayor of Bogota from 1998 – 2001 and 2016–2019. Fellow of the Institute for Urban Research of the University of Pennsylvania.

Vera Songwe
Chair of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility; Co-chair of the High-Level Panel on Climate Finance; Former Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa

Kesete Admasu
Advisory board member
CEO of Big Win Philanthropy; Former CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria; Former Minister of Health of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Wanjira Mathai
Advisory board member
Managing Director, Africa and Global Partnerships, World Resource Institute; Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation; Former Chair of the Green Belt Movement

Monica Geingos
Advisory board member
3rd First lady of the Republic of Namibia; Lawyer; Chairperson of the Africa REACH Leadership Council; Board member of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre

Wilson Prichard
Advisory board member
Associate Professor of Global Affairs and Political Science: University of Toronto; Chair of the Local Government Revenue Initiative (LoGRI)

Ashveena Gajeelee
Facilitator
Leadership Educator; Board member of AU Capacity Building Foundation; Harvard Alumni Board and the Whittier Street Health Centre

Deriba Kuma
Coach
Former Minister of Transport and Telecommunication of Ethiopia; Former Mayor of Addis Ababa

Ebrahim Rasool
Advisory board member (former)
South Africa’s Ambassador to the USA; Former Provincial Minister of Health and Social Services; Western Cape Premier
AMALI Staff

Pauline Kahiga-Waititu
AMALI Programme Director

Warren Smit
Research Manager
AMALI Urban Governance Research Lab, African Centre for Cities

Ulpha Ismail
African Centre for Cities

Amy Weimann
Research Officer
Research lead – AMALI Urban Governance Research Lab, African Centre for Cities

Tiffany C. Davis
Director
AMALI Data Programme, African Centre for Cities

Babette Safougne
Post-doctoral Fellow
Researcher – AMALI Urban Governance Research Lab, African Centre for Cities

Martin Magidi
Post-doctoral Fellow
Researcher – AMALI Urban Governance Research Lab, African Centre for Cities

Chukwuma Okolie
City Data Advisor
AMALI Data Programme, African Centre for Cities

Zukisa Sogoni
AMALI Data Programme, African Centre for Cities

Lesego Tshuwa
City Data Advisor
AMALI Data Programme, African Centre for Cities

Melissa Meyer
Data Team Project Co-ordinator
AMALI Data Programme, African Centre for Cities

Tselane Moiloa
Communications Officer
African Centre for Cities
Partners

AMALI is a partnership between the African Centre for Cities (ACC), Big Win Philanthropy and Bloomberg Philanthropies.


Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3 billion.