The big cities of the South are facing a galloping urbanization; and Africa is primarily concerned by this phenomenon. In 1950, the continent knew no city home to more than one million inhabitants; there are 38 today! By 2030, African cities will have to take in over 500 million additional residents.
To face this increase in population and step into the 21thcentury, Africa’s big cities will have to take up enormous challenges: infrastructures, energy supply, water and waste management, food security, but also housing, education and job creation; so many sectors that need to be accompanied and regulated in order to allow urban expansion.
To overcome these challenges, public institutions will need help; the private sector will have a fundamental role to play to accompany these transitions. Beyond these internal challenges, cities and local authorities have to learn to work together to reinforce their competitiveness. Just like European cities, African cities have to fit into globalization by scaling up their interconnectedness through an important network of communications and transports.
