Urbanization on the African continent represents a megatrend. By 2050, the percentage of people living in urban areas is predicted to rise from 47% in 2000 to around 60%. With an average annual urban growth rate of 3.5% in the last 20 years, Africa has seen the largest urbanization in the developing world, and this trend is anticipated to continue until the year 2050. According to projections, major African cities will house up to 85% of the continent's population between 2010 and 2025. Urbanization in Africa varies by region, each area having its own geographic and historical contexts. East Africa has the lowest rate of people living in cities while South and North Africa lead in urban growth; followed by Central and West Africa who are home to some of the largest megacities in Africa.
Economic, cultural and social perspectives change when a large portion of the population moves from rural to urban areas. Any effort at economic growth, human development or environmental protection on the continent has to engage the people living in Africa’s rapidly expanding towns and cities.
Previous urbanization phases, elsewhere in the world, have provided impetus for socio-economic progress. On the African continent, urbanization is already shaping every aspect of economic, political and cultural life. There is, however, a dearth of precedents and theory that can be used to understand and guide Africa’s urbanization so as to ensure an economic dividend. A lack of infrastructure and services, unplanned settlements, significant informal economies, dependence on commodity extraction and exports, and institutional gaps, continue to undermine the links between urbanization and industrialization in many African countries.
African cities and towns will be built one way or another in the next three decades. How they are built will determine the prospects for the continent and the viability of global sustainability efforts for the remainder of the century. It has never been more important for new multi-level governance arrangements and continent-wide programmes to harness the current urbanization phase to ensure economic diversification, reduced cost-of-service delivery and climate resilient development.
A French copy of the Concept note is available here.