Urban solutions to Africa’s problems - SAIIA

This briefing discusses the role of cities as primary vehicles for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing that urban governance and knowledge-sharing between cities can address global societal problems. It highlights how decentralization and municipal empowerment enable cities to implement pragmatic solutions, which is particularly relevant for Africa's rapidly growing urban centers.

• Global urbanisation is accelerating, with over 50% of the world's population currently living in cities. By 2030, at least 41 mega-cities—defined as those with a minimum of 10 million inhabitants—are projected to exist globally. Specifically, the population of Lagos, Nigeria, is expected to double by 2050, making it the third largest city in the world.
• Decentralised governance and fiscal liberties allow cities to implement targeted policies to improve quality of life. For example, Stockholm used tax revenue from road congestion taxes to reduce pollution and upgrade transport infrastructure. Similarly, a multi-stakeholder school feeding scheme in Södertälje, Sweden, was adapted by Mollet de Valles, Spain, to provide services without increasing costs through partnerships between farmers, teachers, civil servants, and cooks.
• Cities are acting as independent agents for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without waiting for national government action. Examples include Davao in the Philippines, which created local indicators for the SDGs; Kep in Cambodia, which collaborates with civil society and businesses to reduce waste; and Woodstock in Canada, which aims for total reliance on renewable energy for heating, transportation, and electricity.
• For Africa, urban policies must be adapted to specific continental challenges, including instability, violence, corruption, inequality, and higher poverty rates. The African Centre for Cities states that urban plans in Africa need to be inclusive, responsive, scalable, and pragmatic. In South Africa, Cape Town is specifically working to address the spatial injustice resulting from apartheid by providing affordable housing in the city centre.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2017). Urban solutions to Africa’s problems - SAIIA. https://saiia.org.za/research/urban-solutions-to-africa-s-problems/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Urban solutions to Africa’s problems - SAIIA. 2017. https://saiia.org.za/research/urban-solutions-to-africa-s-problems/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Urban solutions to Africa’s problems - SAIIA |date=3 November 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/urban-solutions-to-africa-s-problems/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2017urban, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Urban solutions to Africa’s problems - SAIIA}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/urban-solutions-to-africa-s-problems/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }