Africa's urban transition and the role of regional collaboration

Africa is in the midst of an urban transition, and over the next 10 years its urban population is projected to increase by more than 150 million. Economic difficulties may reduce rural–urban migration but Africa’s towns and cities are not ready to accommodate anything like this many new residents. It is tempting for governments to respond to this challenge by trying to discourage rural–urban migration. Surveys indicate that government officials are increasingly concerned with “over-urbanization”, and a growing number of policies are being implemented to reduce rural–urban migration. There is no evidence of such policies succeeding, however, and plenty of evidence of human suffering when there are harsh restrictions on rural–urban migration. Poor groups can also suffer from the neglect of growing urban areas: neglect often at least implicitly justified on the grounds that the population in these areas ought not to be growing, and that the provision of infrastructure and services will simply encourage more in-migration from rural areas or neighbouring countries. This report argues that the challenge is not to curb urbanization but, rather, to seize the opportunities it provides, while curbing the inequalities and environmental burdens that market-driven or poorly planned urbanization can bring. Successful urban development is locally driven, but a successful/l urban transition requires national support and regional collaboration. It is regional collaboration involving urban centres in at least two different countries that is the particular concern of this report.

This report suggests that there are many different reasons for engaging in regional collaboration on urban issues. Some urban issues involve trans-boundary problems that require the cooperation of two or more national governments to resolve. More often, the justifications for regional collaboration lie in the similar or interconnected challenges faced by often distant urban centres, and the strength and legitimacy that regional cooperation can bring to local initiatives. Africa’s urban agendas are already heavily informed and influenced by international perspectives, but all too often these originate in other continents and are not grounded in local realities and interests, let alone those of the urban poor.

This report considers urbanization’s opportunities and challenges under four headings: migration, economic growth, urban poverty and the environment, and discusses the appropriate form of regional collaboration for each. For international migration, the need for regional collaboration is clear. With contradictory policies operating in origin and destination countries, migrants often face unnecessary obstacles and prejudice and are subjected to arbitrary policy changes as economic conditions shift. Poorly coordinated policies affecting migration not only cause problems for urban migrants but also for international relations. But there is also a need for well-informed regional dialogue on other forms of migration, including local rural–urban migration. Although this is an issue that must be resolved at national and local levels, a healthy regional discussion of these migration issues could provide critical support for constructive national and local measures. With regard to economic growth, there are urban regions, such as the Maputo development corridor, that cross national boundaries and where there is a clear need for regional cooperation. Here too, it is also important to have regional dialogue on urbanization and the economic opportunities and challenges it poses. There is also scope for effective cooperation between cities facing similar economic challenges as well as between different countries. Regional activities, cutting across national boundaries, also have an essential contribution to make towards enabling hundreds of millions of urban dwellers in Africa to secure basic services, and secure tenure and housing improvements. Similar problems are foun