World Urban Forum spotlights Africa’s urbanisation & climate challenges

Sub: IR

Sec: Int org

Context:

The 12th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12) was held in Cairo recently.
The theme for WUF12 was ‘It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities’.

Key Takeaways:

WUF12 focused on urbanisation challenges, particularly in Africa, which is the world’s most rapidly urbanising continent.
The forum underscored the urgency of addressing sustainable urban development, affordable housing, climate resilience, and inclusive governance in rapidly growing urban centres.
The event featured six key dialogues: Housing Our Future, Cities and the Climate Crisis, Stronger Together, Financing Localisation and Localising Finance, Putting People First in a Digital Era and The Loss of Home.

Urbanisation in Africa:

Currently, Africa is the least urbanised continent, but with its population expected to surge from 5 billion to 2.5 billion by 2050, sustainable urban solutions are becoming increasingly urgent.
Urbanisation rates have risen from 36% in 2010 to a projected 50% by 2030 and 60% by 2050.
Slum populations are growing across countries struggling to keep pace with urbanisation.
Climate change is disproportionately affecting African cities and disrupting urban life, particularly for the poor who live in informal settlements like slums.

Africa’s Megacity Boom:

Africa is home to three current megacities: Cairo, Kinshasa, and Lagos.
By 2050, seven more cities, including Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Khartoum, and Johannesburg, are expected to join the megacity list, each with populations exceeding 10 million people.
These megacities are becoming hubs of economic growth, innovation, and cultural influence, but also face significant challenges in terms of infrastructure, housing, and environmental sustainability.

About World Urban Forum:

The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization.
It was established in 2001 by the United Nations to examine the impacts of rapid urbanisation on communities, economies and climate change.
The first session of WUF was held in Nairobi in 2002 and since then, the forum has been held biennially.