Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Africa is experiencing unprecedented rapid urbanization across the continent, creating some of the world’s fastest growing cities. Between 2016 and 2030, Africa is projected to experience an 80 per cent increase in the number of cities with 500,000 inhabitants or more. This will lead to many challenges, especially among the poor and vulnerable. Recent international agendas such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and Habitat III emphasize that Africa’s main challenge in meeting set targets will be the housing sector. The inability of the public and private sectors to produce or rehabilitate adequate, affordable housing for the poor continues to exasperate the expansion of existing and new informal settlements across the continent. This paper focuses on current urban policies and strategies that have been applied in African cities to address these challenges. Using statistical data, urban policy and program assessment reports on slum upgrading, land tenure, and government-led affordable housing interventions, the research shows the advantages and disadvantages of such applications in the African context. The study indicates there is a need for a more comprehensive approach to practical interventions, which must include incremental housing development and delivery programs targeting the poor, as well as innovative approaches to informal settlement and slum upgrading. The paper concludes, to be effective, interventions must also be aligned with a progressive urban agenda that is governed by national long-term settlement pattern policies and inclusive comprehensive city-level master plans.