Urbanization in Africa is progressing rapidly. The continent’s rate of urbanization soared from 15 percent in 1960 to 40 percent in 2010, and is projected to reach 60 percent in 2050. It is expected that urban populations in Africa will triple in the next 50 years, transforming the profile of the region, and challenging policy makers to harness the urbanization phenomenon for sustainable and inclusive growth and development.
There is now a growing appreciation that it is impossible to deal with Africa’s growth and poverty challenges without managing urbanization. Inspired by the strategy document “Optimizing the Urban Advantage”, which emerged from the fourth edition of the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD4) in 2012, and guided by the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Africa Urban Agenda Programme (AUA) aims to raise the profile of urbanization as a force for the structural transformation of Africa.
