The Opportunity for Africa up to 2063
Now is the time to identify, plan and build 1,2 or 3 Regenerative SMARTERu-Urban Cities in each of the 55 African Union Member States. By 2063, over 1.5 billion more Africans will be living in African cities, bringing the total population to over 3 billion of which 80% or 2.4 billion will be living in cities.
1.5 billion people yet to be born living in over 100 cities yet to be built.
The Economic Power of Africa’s Cities
Since 1990, the number of cities in Africa has doubled — from 3 300 to 7 600 —and their cumulative population has increased by 500 million people.
Compelling evidence – from 2 600 cities across 34 ( African ) countries –
- Urbanisation in Africa contributes to better economic outcomes and higher standards of living.
- In most socio-economic dimensions, Africa’s cities significantly outperform the countries in which they are located.
- Gap between the performance of African cities and the national averages is larger than in many other parts of the world.
- Despite growing by 500 million people, they have maintained their economic performance, providing several hundred million people with better jobs and improved access to services and infrastructure.
- Positive spill-overs from urbanisation are also spreading to rural areas, which benefit from proximity to cities.
Download the full presentation by Gita Goven – Africa123 Chairperson and Alastair Rendall of communiTgrow CEO.
