Urbanisation and slums
Africa’s urban population is increasing faster than anywhere else in the world. If the current trend continues, the urban population of Africa is projected to more than double its 2007 level of 373.4 million by 2030. By 2050, half of Africa’s population will be urban. With a projected population of about 1.2 billion people, African cities will host nearly a quarter of the entire global urban population.
This urban trend poses a huge challenge to Africa: in sub-Saharan Africa, as urbanisation increases, so too does the growth of slums. Both slums and urban areas in the region are growing at almost an equally rapid pace and an increasing number of urban dwellers in Africa are now living in life-threatening slum conditions with poor housing, insufficient space, limited access to clean water and sanitation, and insecure tenure.
Quick facts:
- According to the United Nations, 62 per cent of urban dwellers in sub-Saharan Africa live in slum conditions - the highest proportion in the world.
- In East Africa, the urban population is expected to double in less than nine years – from 50.6 million in 2007 to a projected 106.7 million by 2017 – the quickest rate in the world.
- The number of African slum dwellers has nearly doubled from 101 million in 1990 to 199 million in 2005. Projections for 2020 indicate that the number of slum dwellers will rise to approximately 400 million.
- 45 per cent of urban dwellers in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities.
Millennium Development Goals
Of the 50 countries worldwide that are not on target to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 34 are in Africa, including Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Urgent action is needed to bring Africa back on target to meet the MDGs and see significant reductions in poverty. To do this, it is crucial to address the problem of slums: efforts to improve the living conditions of the urban poor must pick up speed and reach even more people. Although only one region has not yet made progress in this area, slum improvements are still barely keeping pace with the rapid growth of cities in developing countries (UN MDG Report 2009).
What we do
Homeless International works with partner organisations and slum communities in East, Southern and West Africa to promote sustainable solutions to homelessness. We support community-led processes that help slum dwellers to improve their access to safe and secure housing and better living conditions.
