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The main goal of this book is to put urbanization and its challenges squarely on Africa's development agenda. Planned urbanization can improve living conditions for the majority, help in the expansion of the middle class, and create conditions for economic transformation. However, many African cities have developed haphazardly, resulting in the decline of public services, in slum proliferation, and increases in poverty. African cities thrive on activities characterized by easy entry and low productivity, generally referred to as the "informal sector". Indeed, today some urban dwellers are poorer than their cousins in the countryside. In spite of reform attempts, many governments have not been able to create an enabling environment, with adequate infrastructure and institutions to sustain markets for easy exchange and production. This study argues that with careful policies and planning, the situation can be changed. If the recent natural resource-led economic boom that we have seen in many African countries is used for structural reforms and urban renewal, African cities could become centers of economic opportunity. The challenge for African policymakers is to ensure that urban development is orderly and that the process is inclusive and emphasizes the protection of the environment, hence green growth.
List of contents
Foreword Ncube Mthuli. Acknowledgments. 1. Overview of Urban Development in Africa Albert Mafusire and Nadège Désirée Yameogo 2. Cities as Drivers of Development Ivan Turok 3. Institutions, Decentralisation and Urban Development Edgar Pieterse and Warren Smit 4. Financing Urban Development in Africa Beacon Mbiba 5. Upgrading Informal Settlements in African Cities Solomon Mulugeta 6. The Way Forward Nadège Désirée Yaméogo, Abebe Shimeles and Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa
About the author
Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa is Director in the Development and Research Department at African Development Bank.
Abebe Shimeles is Division Manager in the Development and Research Department at African Development Bank.
Nadège Désirée Yameogo is Senior Research Economist in the Development and Research Department at African Development Bank.
Summary
To benefit from the transformation that has accompanied urbanization in many regions of the world, African policymakers must embark on a planned urban development that extends the benefits of an inclusive and green growth to all segments of the population. This book puts urbanization and its challenges squarely on Africa’s development agenda.
