Best cities
The modern skyline of Casablanca Finance City, the business hub. MOROCKO/SHUTTERSTOCK
These are the cities that have become indicators of the continent's modernisation, demographic growth, creativity, inequalities and social change. From business, culture and lifestyle to institutions and security, here is our exclusive ranking of Africa's fifteen most attractive cities.
In the 2025 ranking of Africa's best cities, the ‘White House’ takes the lead. The city is the economic hub of the Kingdom, which is itself experiencing rapid growth.
In the land of a thousand hills, the capital has come a long way from unfathomable tragedy. Visiting the Genocide Memorial is an essential step in recognising how far the country has come. Kigali has since become a model city: under control, disciplined and clean.
Welcome to Babi! A megalopolis of some 6 million people, up and running day and night, a melting pot of cultures and identities, a gateway to the world and the continent. Abidjan accounts for over 60% of the country's GDP and is one of the region's business powerhouses.
Welcome to one of the continent's world-class tourist destinations. The location is magnificent, nestled between the ocean, the southern tip of Africa and Table Mountain. It was also the venue for several of the 2010 World Cup matches.
Here is another African epicentre of global tourism. With real glamour and jet-set appeal. An imperial city with a medina listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains and their snow-capped peaks (increasingly rare...), “Kech” is a fascinating city, with its centuries-old history, natural beauty, heritage and regional wealth ( some winters, you can still ski in Oukaïmeden).
Tourism, digital technology development, services, business, international organisations... Kenya's capital has gradually established itself as southern Africa's essential hub.
Don't let its small size fool you. In spite of a population of just 150,000, the Mauritian capital is making steady progress. It's becoming a major financial hub, largely offshore, and a key interface between Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Welcome to the ‘windy corner’ (in Afrikaans), a ‘small’ city of 500,000 people, quiet, clean, orderly, laid out in straight lines, with a Germanic feel.
Historic, nostalgic, intellectual, political, overwhelmed, explosive, expensive, overpopulated (more than 4 million people) ... Dakar, wedged into its Cape Verde peninsula, is a city of many identities, searching for essential breathing space.