transport expenses accounting for a large fraction of their household budget
(UN 2019; UNECA 2018). Furthermore, most cities in the continent (and especially
secondary cities) do not have proper sanitation and waste management systems
7
(Sects. 1.2.6 and 1.2.12), and experience acute pollution (UNECA 2018).
The changing demographic landscape and the increasingly urban future have
enormous implications for human development, economic transformation and
sustained economic growth, among others (Sect. 1.1). Considering the high rates
of urbanization and the large number of slum dwellers, it will become an even
greater challenge to provide adequate housing, social services and infrastructure
(UNECA 2018). For example, when it comes to housing, a major challenge is both
housing availability and also affordability. In other words, there is low delivery of
appropriate housing at prices that most urban residents cannot afford without access
to secure lines of credit (UNECA 2018). At the same time, the expansion of
unplanned and informal housing undermines efficient land utilization, obstructs
the development of the necessary infrastructure and sometimes poses security
problems (Cobbinah et al. 2015). For example, urban green areas in most SSA cities
are shrinking due to the ever-increasing competition for land for other uses (mainly
housing) and poor urban planning and management (Cobbinah and Darkwah 2016).
As for other SDGs the lack of political will and the weak financial and institutional capacities often undermine the realization of SDG11 in SSA. For example,
limited finance and the lack of skilled labour and modern technology likely impede
the realization of interventions to tackle multiple SDGs in urban areas (Pieterse et al.
2018).
8 Urban planning agencies across the continent struggle to manage the many
urban sustainability issues due to the limited skilled personnel and logistical capacities (Cobbinah and Aboagye 2017). Currently, only 13 countries have formulated
(and 21 countries are in the process of implementing) national urban policies, while
only a handful of countries are implementing national disaster risk-reduction strategies in line with the Sendai framework (SDG Centre for Africa 2019). Ensuring
meaningful public participation in urban planning, inadequate legal enforcement and
the prevailing customary land tenure systems are some of the key underlying
challenges for urban planning and governance across SSA (Kleemann et al. 2017).
Finally, again, there is a critical lack of datasets with sufficient resolution to
appreciate patterns at the city level. In fact there are major data gaps for most of the
indicators for SDG11 (SDG Centre for Africa 2019), including disaster losses
7 Estimates suggest that only 52% of municipal waste in terms of mass has been collected in SSA
between 2010–2018 (up from 32% in 2001–2010) (UNECA 2018). Although this signifies a huge
increase, it still remains the lowest in the world.
8 For example, the biggest waste to energy power plant in SSA is built in Addis Ababa (National
Planning Commission of Ethiopia 2017). This facility is expected to generate 50 MW of electricity
(30% of the city’s energy need) by incinerating 140 tons of dry waste per day (80% of Addis
Ababa’s dry waste). Even though this project would help upon completion address, multiple
problems like waste disposal, power shortages, and job creation (contributing to multiple SDGs),
it experiences substantial delays mainly due to financial constraints and technical issues.
26
D. Juju et al.
(UN 2019; UNECA 2018). Furthermore, most cities in the continent (and especially
secondary cities) do not have proper sanitation and waste management systems
7
(Sects. 1.2.6 and 1.2.12), and experience acute pollution (UNECA 2018).
The changing demographic landscape and the increasingly urban future have
enormous implications for human development, economic transformation and
sustained economic growth, among others (Sect. 1.1). Considering the high rates
of urbanization and the large number of slum dwellers, it will become an even
greater challenge to provide adequate housing, social services and infrastructure
(UNECA 2018). For example, when it comes to housing, a major challenge is both
housing availability and also affordability. In other words, there is low delivery of
appropriate housing at prices that most urban residents cannot afford without access
to secure lines of credit (UNECA 2018). At the same time, the expansion of
unplanned and informal housing undermines efficient land utilization, obstructs
the development of the necessary infrastructure and sometimes poses security
problems (Cobbinah et al. 2015). For example, urban green areas in most SSA cities
are shrinking due to the ever-increasing competition for land for other uses (mainly
housing) and poor urban planning and management (Cobbinah and Darkwah 2016).
As for other SDGs the lack of political will and the weak financial and institutional capacities often undermine the realization of SDG11 in SSA. For example,
limited finance and the lack of skilled labour and modern technology likely impede
the realization of interventions to tackle multiple SDGs in urban areas (Pieterse et al.
2018).
8 Urban planning agencies across the continent struggle to manage the many
urban sustainability issues due to the limited skilled personnel and logistical capacities (Cobbinah and Aboagye 2017). Currently, only 13 countries have formulated
(and 21 countries are in the process of implementing) national urban policies, while
only a handful of countries are implementing national disaster risk-reduction strategies in line with the Sendai framework (SDG Centre for Africa 2019). Ensuring
meaningful public participation in urban planning, inadequate legal enforcement and
the prevailing customary land tenure systems are some of the key underlying
challenges for urban planning and governance across SSA (Kleemann et al. 2017).
Finally, again, there is a critical lack of datasets with sufficient resolution to
appreciate patterns at the city level. In fact there are major data gaps for most of the
indicators for SDG11 (SDG Centre for Africa 2019), including disaster losses
7 Estimates suggest that only 52% of municipal waste in terms of mass has been collected in SSA
between 2010–2018 (up from 32% in 2001–2010) (UNECA 2018). Although this signifies a huge
increase, it still remains the lowest in the world.
8 For example, the biggest waste to energy power plant in SSA is built in Addis Ababa (National
Planning Commission of Ethiopia 2017). This facility is expected to generate 50 MW of electricity
(30% of the city’s energy need) by incinerating 140 tons of dry waste per day (80% of Addis
Ababa’s dry waste). Even though this project would help upon completion address, multiple
problems like waste disposal, power shortages, and job creation (contributing to multiple SDGs),
it experiences substantial delays mainly due to financial constraints and technical issues.
26
D. Juju et al.