A new multi-million shilling war chest has been launched to back innovators tackling the complex challenges of Africa’s sprawling cities. The African Cities Innovation Fund (ACIF), announced in Nairobi, promises to inject fresh capital and support into collaborative, locally-led urban solutions.

This initiative arrives as cities like Nairobi grapple with the pressures of rapid urbanization, including strained infrastructure, inadequate housing, and environmental degradation. The fund directly answers the question of how to foster sustainable growth by empowering the very people who understand the problems best: local innovators.

Fueling Homegrown Solutions

The fund, a partnership between the Million Lives Collective (MLC) and the Judith Neilson Foundation, will offer grants of up to $75,000 (approx. KES 9.7 million) starting in Spring 2026. Uniquely, it requires two innovators to apply as a pair, a model designed to foster partnership between startups, community organizations, and public agencies.

Abi Taylor, Innovation Lead at the Judith Neilson Foundation, noted the urgency driving the initiative. “African cities are growing at a dramatic pace, creating huge opportunity, challenge and change," she stated at the launch event. "Ensuring that cities are places where people can thrive calls for imagination, ambition, innovation and collaboration.”

The fund will target several key areas critical to the wellbeing of urban residents:

• Mobility and transportation
• Access to services and resources
• Climate and economic resilience
• Community wellbeing and public spaces

More Than Just Money

Beyond the significant financial award, recipients will gain access to technical assistance, coaching, and vital partnership support. This comprehensive backing is intended to help promising solutions navigate the hurdles to scaling up their impact across diverse African contexts.

Jite Phido, a Senior Program Manager at the MLC, emphasized that impactful work is already underway. “Across the continent, innovators, community organizations, entrepreneurs, artists and public sector actors are already finding and scaling new ways to improve mobility, expand access to resources and services, [and] strengthen local economies,” Phido said.

The fund's focus on collaboration was praised by Edwin Muroki of 4Life Solutions Kenya, who noted its potential to build community trust and de-risk expansion into new cities. As African cities are projected to double their population to 1.4 billion by 2050, initiatives like the ACIF represent a critical investment in a more livable, resilient, and prosperous urban future for the continent.