Africa is the world’s least urbanized continent, and yet the rate at which its cities are expanding is growing faster than no other worldwide – at an average of 3.5 percent per year. This growth of urbanization does, however, vary across the continent, ranging from the already heavily urbanized North Africa (47.8 percent) to the least urbanized Sub-Saharan Africa (32.8 percent).The aggregate rate of urbanization on the continent is projected to grow from 40 percent in 2015 to 56 percent in 2050.
The enormous speed at which Africa’s cities are growing is linked to other key development trends, most prominently accelerating economic and population growth, increasing migration from rural to urban areas, and the youth bulge. It is strongly driven by Africans’ perceptions that cities – in contrast to the continent’s rural areas – offer an abundance of livelihood opportunities, including employment and income-generating opportunities, food security, and access to finance, education and social capital as well as social protection.
March 4, 2020
Addressing the Challenges of Urbanization in Africa
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Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 5)
All Share Index (ASI) and Market
Capitalization declined by 13 percent to close at 23514.04 points and N8.09
trillion respectively at the end of the trade session on January 15.
The huge drop in the Index, representing a 3-year low, led to the introduction
of the Index Circuit Breakers Rule. While this policy measure may
prevent huge losses in the stock market, rising concerns about macroeconomic
stability in Nigeria may significantly increase the level of volatility in the
stock market. This may have substantial adverse implications for investors in
the Stock Exchange.