Urban Poverty in Africa: From Understanding to Alleviation

THIS MULTI-DISCIPLINARY COLLECTION focuses on a topic that has tended to be overshadowed by the more general concern with rural poverty but that is finally emerging as a subject for discussion and debate. Africa's level of urbanization is low compared to that of most other regions (it is currently between 30 and 40 per cent) but it has grown rapidly over recent decades. So too has the scale of urban poverty, with its particular realities and challenges.
This volume consists of three parts. The first looks at the larger context of urban poverty in Africa, and considers the historical perspective and definitions of poverty, urban poverty in particular. There are also chapters which examine the roles of municipal authorities and their failure to contribute to the interests of the poor; the place of informal economies and the ways they might be better supported by government; and the impact of structural adjustment programmes and how these are perceived by urban migrants.
The second part considers institutional responses to urban poverty – both those of the World Bank and other international donor agencies, as well as examples of NGO responses and that of the municipality of Gaborone, Botswana. These chapters are not only descriptive but also offer recommendations for future action. The third part of the book considers some of the very specific coping strategies of the urban poor themselves. These chapters include accounts of the decision-making processes of poor households in Kampala; the challenges faced by children on the street in Tamale, Ghana and in Nairobi, Kenya; the burden of life with AIDS in Uganda, and the importance of links to rural areas for urban dwellers in Africa. These chapters describe a range of very different situations but all stress the capacity of different groups to address their difficult situations with energy and ingenuity, demonstrating overall the importance of involving these “experts” in any interventions designed to improve their lives.