Africa’s urban land markets: piecing together an economic puzzle

This guide introduces a handbook designed to explain the economic theory and practical functioning of urban land markets in Africa, emphasizing the need for policy-makers to move beyond state-centric management to include diverse actors.

• Urban land markets in sub-Saharan Africa are complex arenas involving a wide array of actors—including governments, private developers, traditional authorities, land owners, slum dwellers, and tenants—who collaborate or compete to create essential urban infrastructure such as housing, schools, hospitals, and business premises.
• The study identifies two primary systemic issues in African urban land markets: the state's frequent involvement in corrupt and irregular land practices that favor an elite minority, and the fact that significant market growth is occurring in peri-urban areas where state regulation and management are limited.
• To create effective urban land policies that allow for the participation of poor people, the document recommends a conceptual shift in land management. Policy-makers should move away from viewing the state as the sole regulatory authority and instead involve alternative regimes of authority, whether they are legally recognized (such as traditional authorities) or not.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2014). Africa’s urban land markets: piecing together an economic puzzle. https://cdkn.org/resource/africas-urban-land-markets-piecing-together-an-economic-puzzle

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Africa’s urban land markets: piecing together an economic puzzle. 2014. https://cdkn.org/resource/africas-urban-land-markets-piecing-together-an-economic-puzzle.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Africa’s urban land markets: piecing together an economic puzzle |date=10 November 2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/africas-urban-land-markets-piecing-together-an-economic-puzzle |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2014africas, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Africa’s urban land markets: piecing together an economic puzzle}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/africas-urban-land-markets-piecing-together-an-economic-puzzle}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }