The World Bank Group says that the Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to add 748 million urban residents between 2025 and 2050.
The Bank Group said in its report titled “Sub-Saharan Africa’s Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Job Creation” released on Thursday that the projection presented opportunities for economic growth and job creation if governments prioritised strategic investments in places where firms can cluster and workers can easily reach them.
It said that the region’s rapid urbanisation could create more and better jobs for its growing young population if governments invested in infrastructure, transport, affordable housing and improved urban planning.
It said that urban households already spent considerably more per adult than equally educated rural households, reflecting access to more and better employment opportunities in cities.
According to the report, the World Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, Mr Paschal Donohoe, said that Sub-Saharan Africa’s urban transition could transform the region’s jobs market.
Donohoe said that appropriate investments and reforms in infrastructure, land, connectivity and financing could attract private capital, improve productivity and create formal jobs for millions of young Africans.
The report added that Mr. Mark Roberts, World Bank Senior Urban Economist and co-author of the report said Africa’s urban transformation would deliver on its promise only if cities had the institutions and resources to manage growth effectively.
“Stronger urban governance, more predictable financing, and greater accountability are essential to turn rapid urbanisation into better infrastructure, more investment, and ultimately more and better jobs.”
According to the report, realising the economic potential of urbanisation requires targeted interventions to address the different challenges confronting major cities, their expanding outskirts and smaller towns.
It said that governments in major cities prioritised accessible, job-rich clusters through investments in infrastructure, public transport and affordable housing.
The report also called for improved regulations to enable businesses and workers to locate closer to economic opportunities.
For rapidly expanding city peripheries, it advised governments to plan ahead by establishing road networks and reserving land for essential infrastructure before development became entrenched.
The report further highlighted the often overlooked economic potential of more than 15,000 towns across Sub-Saharan Africa, recommending selective investment in locations with strong economic and geographical advantages.
It identified towns along transport corridors and those close to other economic opportunities as priority locations for targeted infrastructure development and improved urban planning.
The report said that rapidly growing towns required appropriate governance structures and financing mechanisms to manage expansion and provide essential services.
It said that improved property tax collection could enhance the creditworthiness of cities and help attract private investment, including through public-private partnerships in strategic urban locations.
The report said that decisions taken now would shape the region’s urban development for generations, urging governments to combine targeted infrastructure investment with stronger institutions, improved urban planning and financing.
It said that mobilising private capital alongside public investment would be essential to ensuring that rapid urban growth translated into greater economic opportunities and more and better jobs across Sub-Saharan Africa.
GIK/APA