Between 1950 and 2018, Africa’s urban population experienced a staggering growth of 515 million people, marking a sixteen-fold increase over 68 years from 33 million to 548 million people (UN-DESA, 2018). This growth far outpaced the ninefold increase in Asia’s urban population from 246 million to 2.3 billion, and the twofold increase in Europe’s urban population from 284 million to 553 million during the same period (Figure 1). Africa’s urban population is projected to grow by another 900 million people over the next 30 years (OECD/UN ECA/AfDB, 2022a). By 2050, two thirds of the entire African population will be concentrated within urban areas.
About the AMALI Urban Governance Research Lab
The AMALI Urban Governance Research Lab, composed of dedicated researchers, provides participating Mayors and Governors and their teams with tailored and exclusive research and analytics to support their transformation action plans. Additionally, the lab strives to enhance access to urban governance information and relevant research reflections on African cities to support urban governance improvements across the continent.