8.8 Challenges of Waste Management in African Countries
185
cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”
This target reflects the increasing acknowledgment that human well-being
and development relies on the management of urbanization. Cities are
accelerators of development but can also be sources of environmental health
hazards. This is crucial for Africa, where in spite of high urbanization rates,
development focus has mainly been in rural areas.
Consider Ghana; the urban population has increased from four million since
1984 to no less than 14 million. Today, more than 51% of Ghanaians live in
cities (Klopp and Pailer 2015). Whereas the rates of urbanization vary across
Africa, Ghana reflects the overall global trend towards an urban future and
demonstrates how African cities can be highly productive. A World Bank
report highlights a clear relationship between productivity, urbanization as
well as poverty reduction. During the same period, annual Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) growth has been growing at 5.7%. The number of service
and industrial jobs has also grown by 21%, while Accra has had a 20%
lower poverty rate. The Nairobi Metropolitan region also generates about
50% of the country’s GDP (Klopp and Pailer 2015). Despite having many
unemployed youth and substantial poverty, many rural counties in the country
are usually the poorest.
As cities in Africa grow, the challenge will remain to offer adequate services
as well as equitable access to opportunities. Today, there are significant
gaps that exist between the required and current infrastructure and services.
A result of this gap is the affordable housing crisis that yields slums and
suburbs. Similar to numerous other states in Africa, the urban housing stock
in Ghana is growing. However, similar to numerous other cities globally, the
larger proportion of this housing is for upper and middle classes (Klopp and
Pailer 2015). In addition, the housing is not growing at an expected pace. If
managed effectively, the high housing demand can be a significant investment
and growth opportunity. However, because of existing housing inequalities,
the question remains whether the sector will develop in an inclusive, safe,
resilient, and sustainable way.
The major challenge in Africa is politics. Poor planning has impeded
unlocking the urbanization promise. There is no need to reinvent the wheel on
matters about planning, and while various master plans have been made, none
has yielded any meaningful results in cities such as Nairobi. There is a need,
however, to involve communities in this planning. For projects to achieve the
desired results, more affordable housing or better transit, there is a need to
reshape incentives.
What are other solutions to the problems afflicting African cities?
185
cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”
This target reflects the increasing acknowledgment that human well-being
and development relies on the management of urbanization. Cities are
accelerators of development but can also be sources of environmental health
hazards. This is crucial for Africa, where in spite of high urbanization rates,
development focus has mainly been in rural areas.
Consider Ghana; the urban population has increased from four million since
1984 to no less than 14 million. Today, more than 51% of Ghanaians live in
cities (Klopp and Pailer 2015). Whereas the rates of urbanization vary across
Africa, Ghana reflects the overall global trend towards an urban future and
demonstrates how African cities can be highly productive. A World Bank
report highlights a clear relationship between productivity, urbanization as
well as poverty reduction. During the same period, annual Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) growth has been growing at 5.7%. The number of service
and industrial jobs has also grown by 21%, while Accra has had a 20%
lower poverty rate. The Nairobi Metropolitan region also generates about
50% of the country’s GDP (Klopp and Pailer 2015). Despite having many
unemployed youth and substantial poverty, many rural counties in the country
are usually the poorest.
As cities in Africa grow, the challenge will remain to offer adequate services
as well as equitable access to opportunities. Today, there are significant
gaps that exist between the required and current infrastructure and services.
A result of this gap is the affordable housing crisis that yields slums and
suburbs. Similar to numerous other states in Africa, the urban housing stock
in Ghana is growing. However, similar to numerous other cities globally, the
larger proportion of this housing is for upper and middle classes (Klopp and
Pailer 2015). In addition, the housing is not growing at an expected pace. If
managed effectively, the high housing demand can be a significant investment
and growth opportunity. However, because of existing housing inequalities,
the question remains whether the sector will develop in an inclusive, safe,
resilient, and sustainable way.
The major challenge in Africa is politics. Poor planning has impeded
unlocking the urbanization promise. There is no need to reinvent the wheel on
matters about planning, and while various master plans have been made, none
has yielded any meaningful results in cities such as Nairobi. There is a need,
however, to involve communities in this planning. For projects to achieve the
desired results, more affordable housing or better transit, there is a need to
reshape incentives.
What are other solutions to the problems afflicting African cities?