A nonprofit dedicated to empowering new cities with better governance to lift tens of millions of people out of poverty, The Charter Cities Institute (CCI) will host a summit featuring a pitch competition. Dubbed Cities Catapult for urban development, the forum is aimed at accelerating the development of new cities.
The New Cities Summit 2025 to be held in June will showcase pioneering urban development projects and connect developers with top financiers, policymakers, and experts for strategic guidance and potential investment avenues.
Hosted in partnership with the Africa Infrastructure Development Association (AfIDA), the summit aims to accelerate mixed-use industrial development zones (IDZs), special economic zones (SEZs), and core urban projects across Africa.
“While the demand for well-planned, economically vibrant, and scalable cities has never been greater, many promising projects struggle to transition from vision to reality,” noted Michael Holstein, the summit organiser and head of communications at CCI.
The Catapult is designed to help bridge this gap. It is structured as a mentorship initiative culminating in a high-stakes pitch competition at the summit, with the winning project receiving exclusive mentorship and capital raising opportunities”.
New city developments and mixed-use SEZs/IDZs (with populations under 300,000); Core urban projects, including affordable housing, transport, and climate resilience initiatives as well as investment funds dedicated to large-scale urban development (500+ hectares with a projected population of at least 50,000), are some of the projects that qualify to participate in the Catapult.
The summit will be hosted in partnership with the Smart Cities Council, KenInvest, and Kenya Development Corporation.
It will convene over 400 global leaders—including policymakers, investors, city developers, entrepreneurs, and infrastructure specialists—to create and launch solutions for sustainable urban growth.
The summit will also unpack strategies for managing the world’s fastest-growing cities, policy, economic, and political risks, leveraging mineral wealth for local development, innovation for urban growth, and rethinking SEZs.
A nonprofit dedicated to empowering new cities with better governance to lift tens of millions of people out of poverty, The Charter Cities Institute (CCI) will host a summit featuring a pitch competition. Dubbed Cities Catapult for urban development, the forum is aimed at accelerating the development of new cities.
The New Cities Summit 2025 to be held in June will showcase pioneering urban development projects and connect developers with top financiers, policymakers, and experts for strategic guidance and potential investment avenues.
Hosted in partnership with the Africa Infrastructure Development Association (AfIDA), the summit aims to accelerate mixed-use industrial development zones (IDZs), special economic zones (SEZs), and core urban projects across Africa.
“While the demand for well-planned, economically vibrant, and scalable cities has never been greater, many promising projects struggle to transition from vision to reality,” noted Michael Holstein, the summit organiser and head of communications at CCI.
The Catapult is designed to help bridge this gap. It is structured as a mentorship initiative culminating in a
high-stakes pitch competition
at the summit, with the winning project receiving exclusive mentorship and capital raising opportunities”.
New city developments and mixed-use SEZs/IDZs (with populations under 300,000); Core urban projects, including affordable housing, transport, and climate resilience initiatives as well as investment funds dedicated to large-scale urban development (500+ hectares with a projected population of at least 50,000), are some of the projects that qualify to participate in the Catapult.
The summit will be hosted in partnership with the Smart Cities Council, KenInvest, and Kenya Development Corporation.
It will convene over 400 global leaders—including policymakers, investors, city developers, entrepreneurs, and infrastructure specialists—to create and launch solutions for sustainable urban growth.
The summit will also unpack strategies for managing the world’s
fastest-growing cities
, policy, economic, and political risks, leveraging mineral wealth for local development, innovation for urban growth, and rethinking SEZs.
By Esther Dianah