Somik Lall, World Bank – Africa’s Cities: Opening Doors to the World
Name
Somik Lall
Title
Global Lead, Territorial and Spatial Development
Main affiliation
World Bank
email
slall1@worldbank.org
Country
United States
Region
North America
Main themes
Urban Management
Urban Infrastructure
Planning and Design
Mobility
Land
Economy
Title
Africa’s Cities: Opening Doors to the World
Focus
“Africa’s Cities: Opening Doors to the World” demonstrates how urban policy plays a central role in making Africa’s cities economically competitive
Issues which the lecture addresses
Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing rapid population growth. Yet their economic growth has not kept pace. Why? One factor might be low capital investment, due in part to Africa’s relative poverty: Other regions have reached similar stages of urbanization at higher per capita GDP. This lecture, however, identifies a deeper reason: African cities are closed to the world. Compared with other developing cities, cities in Africa produce few goods and services for trade on regional and international markets. To grow economically as they are growing in size, Africa’s cities must open their doors to the world. They need to specialize in manufacturing, along with other regionally and globally tradable goods and services. And to attract global investment in tradables production, cities must develop scale economies, which are associated with successful urban economic development in other regions.
Short analysis of the above issues
The assessment is based on data from 64 cities across Africa using a combination of satellite imagery alongside economic and demographic survey data
Propositions for addressing the issue
1. The low development trap—Africa’s urban economies are limited to nontradable goods and services by their by urban form
2. Africa’s cities are Crowded with People, Not Dense with Capital
3. Cities in Africa are characterized by Disconnected Land, People, Jobs, and Firms
4. Africa’s cities are costly for Households and Costly for Firms
5. To spring Africa from its Low Urban Development Trap, there is urgent need to (a) Clarify Property Rights and Strengthening Urban Planning and (b) Scale up and Coordinate Investments in Physical Structures and Infrastructure
Additional Reading Materials
A host of background papers can be viewed at:
https://collaboration.worldbank.org/groups/research-partnership-for-sustainable-urban-development/projects/spatial-development-research
