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African bureaucrats and development experts have gathered in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa for the inaugural African Urban Forum (AUF) — a continental platform that seeks to promote sustainable development in African settlements.
The three-day event which is scheduled from September 4 - September 6, seeks to formulate strategies to tackle the challenges associated with the rapid urbanisation that the continent of 1.5 billion people faces.
The forum, set up by the African Union in 2022 , is dedicated to addressing the multifaceted challenges of urbanisation in Africa. It provides a platform for policymakers, urban planners and stakeholders to exchange ideas, share best practices and collaborate on initiatives that emphasise sustainable urban development.
Jointly organised by the government of Ethiopia and the African Union Commission, in partnership with UN-Habitat and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the forum is being held against the backdrop of critical challenges in Africa’s rapid urbanisation that need a collective resolve.
The event is focused on five key result areas which are:
i) Fostering African urban solutions, building prosperous Africa (as part of) Agenda 2063
ii) Looking at urbanisation trends and prospects of Africa towards Agenda 2063
iii) Managing Africa’s rapid urbanisation for positive structural transformation
iv) Financing urbanisation for the socio-economic transformation of Africa
v) Promoting institutional and political reforms in African urban development
Other issues taking centre-stage at the event include the role played by climate change is the continent’s accelerated urbanisation, the environmental impact of urbanisation and the potential socio-economic benefits of properly planned urbanisation, among others.
Stephen Karingi, ECA director for Regional Integration and Trade Division, told delegates that African cities are vital to the continent’s economic and social development, contributing over 50 per cent of the continent’s gross domestic product.
He, however, pointed out that the rapid pace of urbanisation has brought about a host of challenges to the continent, including underdeveloped infrastructure, climate vulnerabilities and socio-economic inequalities.
“We need to ensure that African cities are not only engines of growth but also exemplary for sustainable and inclusive development. The time for action is now and with collective effort, we can pave the way for a brighter, more sustainable future for all urban dwellers in Africa,” said Karingi, speaking on behalf of the ECA Executive Secretary, Claver Gatete.
Karingi further stressed the need for sound macroeconomic policies and development financing for stable and robust economic environments, highlighting regional integration, economic diversification and industrialisation as important for enhancing the competitiveness of Africa’s economies and strengthening economic resilience and industrial base.
UN-Habitat executive director Anacláudia Rossbach pointed out that unplanned urbanisation generally results in an increase in slum populations, poverty and inequality.
“It is very important that we plan our cities well and it is important that we think smartly about how we are using our land,” Rossbach said.
“We need to maximise the built environment, maximise the structures built by the people in these informal settlements, but we (must) also think where these new houses will be located, so we need to plan our cities and we need to have clever, smart land policies. We have to be aware of the risks of urban sprawl in terms of affecting our natural surroundings, in terms of affecting food security, in terms of negatively affecting the social fabric,” she said.
Other speakers on the opening day included the mayor of the host city, Adanech Abebe, Ethiopia’s Urban and Infrastructure Development minister Chaltu Sani and Fatimetou Adbel Malick, the president of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Africa.
Experts predicted that 60 per cent of Africans will reside in cities by 2050, making the need for sustainable urban solutions imminent.
Around 36 per cent of the African population was living in urban areas in 2010 but it has been growing rapidly and is expected to rise to 50 per cent and 60 per cent by the years 2030 and 2050, respectively.
Experts also highlighted that urbanisation 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 which are home to some of the largest megacities in Africa.
A lack of infrastructure and services, unplanned settlements, significant informal economies, dependence on commodity extraction and exports and institutional gaps, have been identified as some of the factors that impede urbanisation and industrialisation in many African countries.
The event is organised on the theme 'Sustainable Urbanization for Africa’s Transformation – Agenda 2063'. Hence, it is hoped that the event will result in the exploration of strategic partnerships and advancement of solutions for sustainable urbanisation with the goal of committing to actionable strategies that can transform urban landscapes across the African continent.
In 2022, the African Union Commission and its member-states established the AUF in response to the rising consciousness of the rapid urbanisation in Africa, its opportunities and challenges and the need to create a continental scale forum to support an inclusive and holistic approach to unlocking the potential of urbanisation in the continent.