Africa is urbanising at a faster rate than any other continent. However, the biodiversity, and habitats on which it depends, in and around African cities remain understudied. This leaves policy and decision makers working to retain, restore and enhance urban green and blue spaces across the continent short of the context-specific evidence that they require. We explore cities in four different tropical African countries, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Malawi through the research and experiences of researchers with a history of working in those countries. Using a variety of different approaches, including detailed botanical inventories, historical perspectives on urbanisation and stakeholder and policy engagement, we reveal how diverse African cities are, but also draw out some common avenues for future research. We emphasise how the unique development and expansion patterns of African cities can be used to highlight potential new ways of engaging with stakeholders, and that those stakeholders—from the general public to decision and policy makers are key to delivering any biodiversity conservation successes in tropical African cities.