This paper will summarise the present urbanization and urban policy trends in Africa, its key challenges, and how some innovative urban development planning approaches have been deployed to address them. On this basis, the paper will look at more recent concerns related to climate change and analyse their relevance for the continent’s cities in terms of direct and indirect impacts. Finally, it will try to present how urban planning actors and in particular cities are responding to these challenges. It will conclude with reflections on a possible agenda for action.