Due to racial undertones, institutionalized racism and events taking place in America, a sizable number of African Americans are choosing return back to the motherland and settling down in Africa. Ghana had a Campaign dubbed the Year of the Returnees which was very successful.
Social Media has also played a big role in eradicating the Picture the Traditional western media Outlets have always liked to portray Africa as Poverty Stricken, war stricken full of diseases continent. Africa does have its share of Problems but a blanket condemnation of the whole Continent is far from the Truth. Here we give you a list of top 7 Cities you can relocate to and reconnect to your African roots.
While in this Article we have narrowed down to particular Cities using different Parameters we also did a list of Top 10 African Countries African Americans are Moving To Live.
7.KAMPALA 56/100
Kampala is the Capital City of Uganda ,the City is set on several Hills which gives it a very unique look. The city is home 1.6 million people.
| PARAMETERS | KAMPALA |
| African Culture/The Vibe 🥁 Kampala has a very strong African Culture or Vibe, Ugandans dress in African attires with bold colors. Generally Ugandans have kept their Culture quite intact. Attend an Ugandan Traditional wedding and its very evident of the rich cultural processes and Vibrancy of the Culture. | 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Food 🍽️ Ugandan is usually Starch Heavy. Their staple food is Matoke which mainly cooked Bananas but you can expect a variety cuisines made up of cassava (manioc), sweet potatoes, white potatoes, yams, beans, peas, groundnuts (peanuts), cabbage, onions, pumpkins, and tomatoes. The general consensus is that there’s a Variety of foods and its accepted that Uganda has the best in East Africa. | 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Modern City/Infrastructure 🏙️ Kampala is not very Modern. Though slowly changing ,the Capital lacks the supporting Infrastructure as compared to the other East African Capitals. Its a mix of Old and new buildings which are coming up every so often. There so many Motorbikes clogging the City with that familiar African ”organized chaos ”that usually Characterizes so many Africans Towns. | 3/10 |
| Tech/Internet 🌐 According to a Poll, Kampala is the 3rd most innovative City in Africa ,it has over 10 innovation Hubs. The table below shows internet compared to other Cities in the List. However it loses on Internet Speeds in Comparison with other Cities. It however comes last in Terms of Internets Speeds at 6 Mbps. | 6/10 |
| Safety 🦺 :Medium Overall Relatively safe for Travel, One Should exercise as in most cities ,the most common Crimes involve Petty Crimes; Pick pocket, Snatching of Bags rarely will they turn Violent. TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK:HIGH-Does have one of the highest Road Fatalities. PICKPOCKETS RISK : HIGH | 4/10 |
| Things To do in Kampala Not really known for its Tourist Attractions its Restaurant Culture is Very good but its not the most Vibrant City for different Activities. Here are some of the top Ten Places to visit in Kampala: 1. Gaddafi National Mosque(2nd Biggest Mosque in Africa) 2. Baha’i Temple 3.Gorilla Bookings 4. Uganda Martyrs Shrine 5.Uganda Museum 6. Kabaka’s Palace 7.The Acacia Mall 8.Budongo Forest 9. Kasubi Tombs 10. Social Innovation Museum | 4/10 |
| Nature/Green Spaces 🏕️ Though City has Greenery in the City there are mot many Green Spaces accessible to the Park and has to Travel out of the City. | 2/10 ⚠️ |
| Ease of Doing Business 💰 Ranked 116 in the World,16th in Africa and 4th in this list. Relative Ease in doing Business. Index(60) with the Best parameters being Paying Taxes and Doing Business as the The Top while getting Electricity and resolving insolvency was the biggest obstacle. | 5/10 |
| Power 🔌 Expect Power Interruptions according to a Report with Power outages on the Rise. | 5/10 |
| Language English 📚 The official language of the Republic of Uganda is English. Mainly spoken by the educated but might struggle talking to the Ordinary Ugandan but by enlarge you can be able to communicate never the less. | 7/10 |
| TOTAL OUT 100 | 54/100 |
6.DAR ES SALAAM-55/100
Dar es Salaam or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania with a Population 4.4 million.
| PARAMETERS | DAR ES SALAAM |
| African Culture/The Vibe 🥁 The Socialist State background ,Tanzanians are very fairly conservative State with most People terming them as very Polite, friendly, warm, laid back and cool people. The Country has very diverse Culture from the Masais to the Chaga. Dar es Salaam is also a majority Muslim population. | 7/10 |
| Food 🍽️ Very Similar to Kenya’s food with Ugali(Boiled Corn Flour) as the most Popular dish, Tanzania and Kenya Foods borrow heavily from Arabic and Indian foods though the Dishes vary depending on the Region you are in. Tanzanian foods are not known to be Spicy as most East Africans Foods Foreigner might term it as Bland. | 6/10 |
| Modern City/Infrastructure 🏙️ Fairly Modern City that growing at a very fast rate, very efficient transport system with the Government putting more infrastructure with S.G.R(Standard Gauge Railway) about to be Launched ant time soon. | 8/10 |
| Tech/Internet 🌐 Growing steadily but still lags way behind Kenya its Neighbor ,like most sectors in Tanzania its in the development Stages but growing steadily. | 6/10 |
| Safety 🦺 The Safest Capital of the East African States, however precaution and common sense is when in the Capital advised just like most Cities. | 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Things To do 🥾 There’s a Variety of activities to do in Dar the City on the Coast of Indian Ocean. Top ten Activities include:1. Mbudya Island · 2. Bongoyo Island · 3. The Slipway Shopping Centre · 4. Azam Marine and Coastal Fast Ferries · 5. Village Museum · 6. Kivukoni Fish Market · 7.National Museum 8.Coco Beach 9.Mwenge Woodcarvers Market 10.Kariakoo Market | 7/10 |
| Nature/Green Spaces 🏕️ Green Spaces have been spaced out by the Concrete Jungle that is taking up Dare salaam with the Government with the help of World Bank are coming up with an ambitious project trying to rekindle the old glory of Dar es Salaam to identify and restore green spaces. | 2/10 ⚠️ |
| Ease of Doing Business 💰 Ranked as having low ease of doing than all its neighboring countries. Ranked 141 in the World,26th in Africa and Last in this list. Tanzanian Government has been accused as trying to protect Tanzanian interest by discouraging investments policies. | 3/10 |
| Power 🔌 The Achilles heel of the City and Tanzania in general. Frequent power Black out are the major Brands will also not set HQ in Tanzania as compared to Nairobi. | 2/10 ⚠️ |
| Language English 📚 The official National Language of Tanzania is Swahili with most educated Tanzanians being the only who can speak English making it a bit difficult to Converse with ordinary Tanzanians. | 4/10 |
| TOTAL OUT 100 | 54/100 |
5.ACCRA- 69/100
| PARAMETERS | ACCRA |
| African Culture/The Vibe 🥁 African Culture to the max, if your biggest reason is to reconnect with the motherland, Accra is the place to be. Ghanaians embrace their culture fully from from Africana clothes. its also has a direct correlation with Slave Trade with a lot Returnees tracing their lineage directly from Ghana Tribes. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Food 🍽️ One of the Best Africa has to offer from the numerous reviews from Foreigners. Their food is very spicy reflecting different beliefs, traditions and habits. some of you can Expect from Accra include: Jollof rice, Fufu and goat light soup as the most popular. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Modern City/Infrastructure 🏙️ Not its best selling point, Accra is trying to modernize the City but it has very African feel, bustling streets vendors, open sewers and organized Chaos. Some parts of Accra are Very modern like East Legon & Labone but a vast of the City feels a bit old as compared to East and South African Cities. | 5/10 |
| Tech/ Internet 🌐 Its a Second Tier Tech Hub in African Ranking with Quite a number of Tech Companies slowly starting to come in. Internet Reliability in Ghana on the scale of 1–10 will likely be 5 with 4G services. | 6/10 |
| Safety 🦺 Relatively safe City compared to other Cities in Africa. | 8/10 |
| Things To do 🥾 Plenty Fun Activities from Beach to sports to Slave/culture historical sites, Accra is a very interesting place to Travel .Top places to Travel in Accra: 1.Aburi Botanical 2. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park Gardens 3.Makola Market 4.Bojo Beach 5.Accra Mall 6.Labadi Pleasure Beach 7.Osu Castle 8.Black Star Gate 9.W.E.B. DuBois Center 10.W.E.B. DuBois Center | 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Nature/Green Spaces 🏕️ Plenty of Green Spaces and Parks to Relax. The most Popular being the Magnificent Legon Botanical Gardens and Playground. The others include Efua Sutherland Children’s Park, Mmofra Place, The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park & Crystal Park. | 8/10 |
| Ease of Doing Business 💰 Ranked 118 in the World,13th in Africa and 5th in this list. Relative The biggest Impediment in doing Business in Accra is lack of modern systems which aids in Corruption. | 5/10 |
| Power 🔌 Frequent power interruptions is Expected In Accra. | 5/10 |
| Language English 📚 Though English is the official language,Ghanains are Multi lingual and will only Speak English only when they have to and mostly by the educated population. If you go to remote areas communication might be a barrier. | 5/10 |
| TOTAL OUT 100 | 71/100 |
4.LAGOS-70/100
3.KIGALI-73/100
| PARAMETERS | KIGALI |
| African Culture/The Vibe 🥁 Not as Pronounced as mostly Western African Countries but Expressed mainly through Traditional Dances and Festivals for the rapidly modernized City. | 5/10 |
| Food 🍽️ Simple and yet unique foods, they are not particularly spicy as well mainly constitutes of sweet potatoes, beans, corn, peas, millet and fruit. | 6/10 |
| Modern City/Infrastructure 🏙️ One of Africa’s Success story from genocide to Africa’s Most Safest Cleanest and organized City which is rapidly modernizing to become one of Africa’s Premier | 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Tech/ Internet 🌐 Up and coming tech hub in Africa ,would be far better were it not for Language Barrier. | 8/10 |
| Safety 🦺 One of the Safest, organized and Cleanest City in the World. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Things To do 🥾 Mostly Centered around genocide Memorials, Art Galleries plus safari Destinations around the City. Top Ten places to visit in Kigali:1. Kigali Genocide Memorial · 2. Inema Art Center · 3. Nyamata Church · 4. Kimironko Market · 5. 1000 Hills Distillery · 6. Niyo Art Gallery · 7. Ntarama Church · 8.Mt. Kigali 9.Camp Kigali Memorial 10.Muslim Quarter | 5/10 |
| Nature/Green Spaces 🏕️ Nicely manicured Green Spaces for Public as well as Green Spaces infused with Modern Buildings give Kigali a Beautifully Manicured City plus the push for no Car in City Days just adds to how refreshingly Green and Modern the City Looks. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of Doing Business 💰 Ranked 38 in the World,2nd in Africa and 1st in this list. Relative Ease in doing Business. | 5/10 |
| Power 🔌 Reliable /Stable power Supply with Minimal interruptions. | 8/10 |
| Language English 📚 Rwanda is a Francophone Country and the Majority of the population do no speak English at all. If you do not know a bit of French language is going to be Barrier. | 1/10 ⚠️ |
| TOTAL OUT 100 | 67/100 |
2.CAPE TOWN- 73/100
| PARAMETERS | CAPE TOWN |
| African Culture/The Vibe 🥁 This is a very Westernized Modern City with a few African Museums and Monuments that remind that you are in Africa. (This might a Positive or Negative). | 2/10 ⚠️ |
| Food 🍽️ Expect western Cuisine and food heavily borrowed from Dutch. Very western foods with not many Authentic African Foods to talk about. | 2/10 ⚠️ |
| Modern City/Infrastructure 🏙️ Extremely Modern or better than most American Cities. Expect efficient transport systems ,modern looking buildings and very few African or Cultural Building just to remind this is still Africa.(This might also be a negative for those who want to see a City with an African Feel ) | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Tech/ Internet 🌐 Top Tier Hub innovation Centers in Africa with an Average Internet speeds of 22Mbps Second on this List. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Safety 🦺 A very bad Rap in terms of safety from Car jackings and theft. Not as bad as Joburg is but still has the highest Crime Index of this list at 72. | 1/10 ⚠️ |
| Things To do 🥾 Cape Town is one of Africa Premier Tourist City and there’s Plenty to see and Activities to do. Here are Cape Town Top Ten Places to Visit:1. Table Mountain Aerial Cableway · 2. Chapman’s Peak Drive · 3. Victoria & Alfred Waterfront · 4. Lion’s Head · 5. Boulders Beach 6.Kogelberg Nature Reserve 7.Two Oceans Aquarium 8.Two Oceans Aquarium 9.Two Oceans Aquarium 10.Table Mountain | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Nature/Green Spaces🏕️ Superbly Manicured green Spaces are Plenty in the Town. They include 1.Company’s Garden 2.Green Point Park & Biodiversity Garden. 3.Deer Park. 4.Oranjezicht City Farm.5.Rondebosch Common.6.Constantia Greenbelt 7.Arderne Gardens 8.Intaka Island. | 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of Doing Business 💰 Ranked 83 in the World,6th in Africa and 3rd in this list. Relative Ease in doing Business. | 6/10 |
| Power 🔌 Reliable /Stable power Supply with Minimal interruptions. | 8/10 |
| Language English 📚 Expect almost everyone to be able to communicate in English. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| TOTAL OUT 100 | 68/100 |
1.NAIROBI-76/100
The Green City in the Sun, its the perfect mix on a Modern city with the amenities of a City with Familiar African Organized Chaos that is Characteristic of many African Cities. Imagine Driving the latest Range Rover on a 10 lane Road and stop for Cows to pass. Imagine a Mix of Accra and Cape town. Nairobi is the Best city for African American to acclimatize to Africa then later on can move to other Countries.
| PARAMETERS | NAIROBI |
| African Culture/The Vibe 🥁 Nairobi is the City of Hustle and with a kind of westernized mindset, the people are welcoming but also mind their own Business. | 3/10 |
| Food 🍽️ Bland. That’s what most foreigners would Describe Kenya’s own food Culture which can be attributed to the lack of spices in the food. Kenya’s main dish is Ugali which boiled Corn Floor eaten with a variety of steamed Greens. Nairobi however does have almost all other Cultural foods restaurants from other Countries from Jamaican, Nigerian, Ethiopian to Western Cuisines are all available. | 5/10 |
| Modern City/Infrastructure 🏙️ Perfect Mix of Modern Facilities from Roads, Apartments, Green spaces but still feel African. | 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Tech/ Internet 🌐 Among the Top tier Tech Hubs in Africa which also includes Joburg and Lagos. With several big tech Companies like GOOGLE,MICROSOFT,VISA located here, Kenya has been Innovation Hub for longest time and still growing. A Survey in 2019 found out Kenya has faster internet than the U.S. Internet speeds in Nairobi Average 24Mbps 1st on this List. Internet Penetration is the highest in Africa at 85.2%. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Safety 🦺 Also Nicknamed Nairoberry due to crime, scams and other urban hassles which scares away many visitors but a lot has been done to address the situation with Nairobi now become a relatively safe City for Travel. | 4/10 |
| Things To do 🥾 Hands down one of the most Entertaining Capital in Africa to visit due to a big variety of Activities to look forward to. From having a National Park with the Big 5 to Restaurants, Festivals you name it you will probably find it Nairobi. As American usually say its LIT in Nairobi. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Nature/Green Spaces🏕️ Green City does live up to its name with nine major Public Green spaces and with a more Renewed push to designate more Public spaces as green Spaces. The major nine green Spaces are: Uhuru/Central Park, Jamhuri Park, City Park, Arboretum, Kamkunji, Jeevanjee Gardens, Karura forest, Oloolua Nature Trails and Ngong Road forest. | 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of Doing Business 💰 Ranked 56 in the World,4th in Africa and 2nd in this list. Relative Ease in doing Business. | 8/10 |
| Power 🔌8 Very reliable power with power Black out sorted very Fast | 8/10 |
| Language 📚 English English and Swahili are national Languages and taught in Schools. You can comfortably converse with most Kenyans including even the ordinary Kenyans. | 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| TOTAL OUT 100 | 78/100 |
THE TABLE SHOWS SCORES OUT OF TEN FOR DIFFERENT PARAMETERS IN DIFFERENT AFRICAN CITIES
| PARAMETERS | DAR ES SALAAM | LAGOS | NAIROBI | KIGALI | ACCRA | CAPE TOWN | KAMPALA |
| African Culture/ The Vibe | 7/10 | 9/10 | 5/10 | 7/10 | 10/10 | 3/10 | 9/10 |
| Food🍽️ | 6/10 | 10/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Modern City 🏙️ | 7/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 | 9/10 | 5/10 | 10/10 | 3/10 |
| Tech/ Internet 🌐 | 6/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Safety 🦺 | 9/10 | 2/10 | 5/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 | 2/10 | 7/10 |
| Things To do 🥾 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 | 8/10 | 5/10 | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Nature/Green Spaces🏕️ | 8/10 | 4/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Doing Business 💰 | 5/10 | 7/10 | 5/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Power 🔌 | 2/10 | 1/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 2/10 | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Language English 📚 | 3/10 | 10/10 | 9/10 | 1/10 | 4/10 | 10/10 | 5/10 |
| TOTAL OUT 100 | 61/100 | 67/100 | 76/100 | 73/100 | 64/100 | 74/100 | 58/100 |
Tech/Internet Comparison of Cities
| City | Average Mbps |
| 1.Nairobi | 24 Mbps |
| 2.Cape Town | 22 Mbps |
| 3.Lagos | 19.72 Mbps |
| 4.Kigali | 18.9 Mbps |
| 5.Daresalaam | 11.87 Mbps |
| 6.Accra | 9.23 Mbps |
| 7.Kampala | 6 Mbps |