By 2050, African cities like Luanda and Lagos will grow dramatically, requiring better planning and infrastructure to support housing, jobs, and services.
Urban growth in sub-Saharan Africa
By 2050, African cities will need to accommodate a growing population and ensure access to housing, transport, essential services, and employment. A World Bank report titled Sub-Saharan Africa's Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Job Creation highlights that Luanda in Angola could become the most populous city in the region, with its population expected to rise from 11.4 million in 2025 to 20.3 million by 2050.Population projections and urban expansion
Lagos is expected to grow from 12.8 million to 16.2 million inhabitants between 2025 and 2050. Other cities like Addis Ababa, Abidjan, Yaoundé, and Bamako are also expected to see significant increases. The report estimates that sub-Saharan Africa will have about 1.7 billion urban inhabitants by 2050, compared to nearly 913 million in 2025.Drivers of urban population growth
The report notes that natural increase, the difference between births and deaths, accounted for between 68 percent and 78 percent of the increase in urban population between 1985 and 2025. Future needs for housing, schools, care, and transport will largely depend on the evolution of populations already established in urban areas.Urban expansion and planning challenges
The World Bank emphasizes that 71 percent of the urban population growth by 2050 should occur beyond the current limits of cities, in their peripheries, in small agglomerations, and in areas currently rural that are expected to urbanize. The area of cities is also expected to increase by about 90 percent over the period.Challenges in unplanned urban growth
Peripheries are often inadequately prepared, with land divided and built before major roads, networks, and public spaces have been reserved. This makes it more difficult and more expensive to equip neighborhoods. In Dar es-Salaam, Tanzania, building roads in unplanned sectors is estimated to be 15 to 25 percent more expensive than in planned sectors.Planning strategies for urban development
The World Bank advocates a two-pronged approach: planning a network of main roads and reserving the land necessary for their development, then facilitating the organization of plots around this network. Connecting housing to jobs and developing without increasing vulnerabilities is also emphasized.Infrastructure and economic development
The economic gains linked to the projected urban growth by mid-century will depend on the ability of businesses to cluster and for workers to join them. Without efficient transport and sufficient infrastructure, neighborhoods remain fragmented and residents have difficulty accessing employment opportunities.Integrated investment and regulatory reforms
The World Bank proposes coordinating investments in land development for businesses, essential services, transport, and affordable housing, rather than treating them as separate programs. It also suggests relaxing excessively restrictive construction rules that limit the supply of housing in well-located areas.Administrative and financial requirements
Preparing cities for the urban demographic boom requires administrations capable of implementing plans and financing services. The report recommends clarifying public responsibilities, strengthening local skills, and making financial transfers between the state and local authorities more predictable and transparent.Targeted investment and local development
Public resources not allowing simultaneous equipping of all areas, the report suggests directing investments toward interventions capable of improving services, supporting activity, and attracting private capital, without dispersing resources into projects poorly connected to each other. This selectivity also concerns small agglomerations, of which the report lists more than 15,000 in sub-Saharan Africa.Additional developments in Africa
Other developments include Egypt launching the production of electric cars with a Chinese partner, Burkina Faso's bond issue exceeding its initial target by 43 percent, Algeria's 2027 PLF providing for 17.7 billion dollars for social transfers, Senegal's challenge of moving from AI experimentation to mass use, Google's efforts in Africa to expand access to training through offline methods, the Emergence 2026 event in Lomé featuring African and European cinema co-productions, and a Tunisian journey through Tataouine's desert landscapes, Berber villages, and Star Wars filming locations.
