The aim of The State of African Cities 2018: The geography of African investment report is to contribute to development policies that can turn African cities into more attractive, competitive and resilient foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations. Attracting global FDI is highly competitive and crosses various geographic scales, therefore regional cooperation by cities and nations is critical. But FDI is not a panacea since it has both positive and negative effects and careful choices need to be made by cities in their pursuit of FDI, if it is to lead to inclusive economic growth.With this report, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), IHS-Erasmus University of Rotterdam, SEBS Wits University,the African Development Bank and their research partners, aim to provide guidance on these choices and to facilitate understanding of the complexity of global investment in Africa.