Open Cities Lab

Building Better Cities in Africa

Our vision is to build African cities where every resident regardless of income, identity or location can access essential services they need with dignity and ease

Why Work with Open Cities Lab

OCL is not just another civic tech implementer. We are specialists in co-developing digital and data systems with local governments across Africa – systems that are designed for real-world uptake, built with modular, open-source technologies, and grounded in a deep understanding of how public institutions, residents, and service delivery systems interact.

A decade at the coalface

Proven track record of building digital tools that respond to the real-world challenges of local government especially in low-capacity, high-complexity environments.

African-Centred Design

Cities and municipalities often manage data in a fragmented and reactive way, making it difficult to plan effectively or deliver quality services. Without the right systems, standards and skills, their digital and data efforts remain disconnected from real policy and service delivery needs.

Not a Consultancy

We come alongside institutions to build lasting capacity and trust, not one-off tools. We don’t deliver and disappear. We build together.

Built for Scale, Rooted in Context

Every implementation is grounded in local needs, but designed with scale in mind—linking local delivery to regional systems and digital public infrastructure ambitions.

Modular, Open Source Tech

Always with an eye on scale, we are driven by open standards and leveraging existing components for reuse across countries and contexts.

Shaping Data Culture, Not Just Tools

We know it takes more than an app. Our approach ensures that mindsets around data, its value, use and governance are shifted for sustainable impact.

How We Work

We deploy data tools
We create governance strategies
We build capacity
We connect stakeholders to one another

The Challenges We Tackle

Local governments struggle to use data effectively

National governments battle to deliver public services

National governments are tasked with delivering inclusive and efficient public services, but heavy dependence on foreign-built solutions and low digital readiness mean that infrastructure and tools are rarely sustainable or adapted to local needs. As a result, service delivery remains inefficient, costly and inaccessible for many residents particularly in fast-growing cities and underserved communities.

Residents face weak services and broken trust

Many residents in African cities struggle to access the services they need due to poor service design and weak connections to government. Limited opportunities to participate, lack of information and broken communication channels erode trust, reduce accountability and reinforce a cycle of disillusionment.

Civil society can’t drive accountability

Civic actors like journalists, NGOs, and researchers lack the data, tools, and support to hold government to account or engage the public effectively. Without strong networks, resources, or capacity, they are unable to drive transparency or push for better governance.

Public services often don’t work well for the people they’re meant to serve