The pace of urbanisation in Africa determines the continent's entry into modernity

Jean-Pierre Elong-Mbassi, Planner, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa - UCLGA. Original Interview conducted in French.

What are the challenges of urbanisation in Africa?

By 2010 nearly 400 million Africans will be living in African cities making up almost 39% of the entire continent’s population.  This is in contrast to the 3% population from last century.  Already, urban dwellers account for more than 60% of the population in North Africa, half in Central Africa, 40% in West Africa and between 30 to 35% in Eastern and Southern Africa.  By 2030, the continent will have approximately 760 million city dwellers -- nearly twice the population of the European Union. 

African cities now offer new economic opportunities and exciting markets.  This is expected to increase in the next two decades with experts reporting that economic growth in African countries is permanently oriented upwards.  Urban growth rates of around 7% are not uncommon in many African countries.  Such growth represents a doubling of the population, in particular, in urban area on an average of every ten years.  This poses a huge challenge to Africa.  National and local leaders in Africa must be prepared towards addressing the implications brought about by this demographic change.

Urbanisation is perceived to be an irreversible process. This corresponds to the development of Africa and its alignment with the rest of the world.  Indeed Africa is the last region in the world to have witnessed a demographic transition -- with mortality rates on the rise.  Some experts estimate that by 2050, Africa will have reached its population asymptote.  With an increase in mortality rates -- the life needs and demands of the population are magnified accordingly.  At the same time, this process is accompanied by population displacements of peoples living in poorer regions to richer regions; inland to coastal areas; rural to urban areas. Population density in cities is increasing and with this emerges opportunities, but also risks. 

What new forms of governance are expected to meet these challenges?

This new landscape poses challenges to governance not only for states but also for the African territory as a whole.  In many countries we observed that in various localities – one out of four inhabitants is new to the locality and has been living in the area for less than ten years.  A rapid turnover of resident population also puts significant pressure onto the need to establish a sense of community to develop effective citizenship.  The inability to agree on a shared and common vision for the city’s development may create divisions within the population and feelings of disconnection and legitimacy, thereby creating institutional instability.

Unfortunately, institutional instability and the extreme mobility of people combined breed hostility and xenophobic tendencies.  People indigenous to specific areas express concerns over what is deemed as an “invasion of aliens or immigrants who do not belong”.  Others accuse new comers to the area as “breaking the previous and/or existing balance”.  The demographic shift thus poses enormous governance problems and brings to fore the need to develop strategic responses at national and local levels.  In as long as the settlement of the territories has not yet reached a sufficient level of stability -- it is very difficult to develop a project that is capable of mobilising the entire community to build consensus on how the transition must be managed.

What resources are needed to manage this transition?

Solutions that are envisioned to address projections of institutional instability often take two lines of argument.  One strand argues that it is better to first strengthen the rule of law (i.e. to enhance the legal structure’s ability to develop and facilitate feelings of solidarity, community and nationality).  On the contrary, others argue that it is imperative to first strengthen local government and decentralise. 

In the first years of independence, priority has been given to the construction of national citizenship that we as Africans desperately wanted developed in response to the historical denial of identity and local particularities of certain groups.  In the 1990s it became evident that states can no longer fulfil their own promise for universal access to economic development and progress.  In response to this, governments in Africa initiated a policy of liberalising public life, which was manifested in their subscription to a policy of decentralisation.  With decentralisation, some responsibilities of and powers exercised by the central government were transferred on to local authorities.

Recent history shows that the process of decentralisation was introduced to African states at the wrong time.  This is because most African states had just emerged from economic shocks and crises in public finances.  While most countries adopted structural adjustment policies -- the process of transferring certain powers to local authorities was not accompanied with the necessary resource allocation.  With the end of the economic slump and the observed improvement of the economic and financial situation of most African states, there emerges a greater hope and belief that the sharing of resources and public expenditure between the central and local governments will be facilitated, and thus achieved.

Is the issue of water considered a priority area by African states and communities?

When states are faced with the situation described above, the priorities are many and stakeholders from all sectors wish for their ideas to be brought to the forefront in public policy priority-setting. This also applies to the water, energy, health, education, housing and transportation sectors.  How many times have we heard in seminars and workshops that their sector must be prioritised and must receive at least 10% of the overall national budget?  If we are to allocate 10% of all national budget to each sector, this will far exceed the total national budget availability.  This reflects a significant disconnect between the translation of developmental ideas (or even policy) to budgetary commitments -- even when it is true that national or local budgets are there to effectively guide and translate public policy.

Without a doubt, no one can argue that water is not a priority because it does not enjoy preferential treatment in national or local budgets.  Water is obviously a natural need.  Everyone needs water to live and there are some economic activities that greatly depend on the availability of water. The need for and use of water is differently prioritised.  However the issue of access is very important as access may vary based on the existence (or absence) of a source for instance (e.g. natural constraints).  It is in the issue of access where important policy decisions and choices may be made. 

In today’s world, water as a human right is universally acknowledged.  However this is not the case for sanitation.  Do we not say that water is necessary for life, and that sanitation and hygiene are preconditions for a dignified human life?  Unfortunately the recognition of the relationship and linkages between water and health continue to be very low.

The Decade for Action Water for Life (2005-2015) has had a significant impact in Africa in terms of facilitating access to drinking water.  However the issue of sanitation continues to be a missing link.  Should the linkages between water and sanitation continue to be ignored, sooner or later the harmful impacts on human health will surface.  It is therefore urgent to develop comprehensive and integrated approaches to water problems at the global level to improve upon the quality of water resources and respond to the pressing issue and disconnect of water and sanitation.  The approaches that will be developed will require a long-term vision guided by sustainable development approaches that takes cognisance of demographic transformation.

* The above text consists of fragments of an interview conducted in French with Jean-Pierre Elong-Mbassi, Planner and Secretary General of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA).  The full and complete version of the interview (in French) is accessible at http://www.fr.irc.nl/page/55042* 

Interview For Sources Nouvelles Edition Spéciale by Martine Le Bec - h2o.net

Translation by: Caridad Machin Camacho and edited by Anjani Abella. IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre

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Tags: africa, urban wash