The pauperisation of Africa’s urban population: reflections on the causes of poverty and inequality in African metropolitan cities

Abstract

As urban areas continued to attract African rural-to-urban migrant labor after the establishment of the colonial enterprise, and economic activities rapidly expanded with European colonial infrastructure development, several large metropolitan cities were founded. This marked the beginning of urbanism in Africa. Today, with fast-growing economies and globalization, there is unprecedented migration from rural to urban areas. In most cases, the opportunities in urban areas seem to pull people into the urban environment, rather than a strategic government plan pulling people out of rural areas for urbanization. These trends present new challenges to governments trying to break the cycle of poverty and build a secure tomorrow for the people of today. The chapter reflects on some of the causes of urban poverty and inequality in African metropolitan cities. It draws on secondary data to examine the main causes of urban poverty and propose how the challenges could be addressed. It is important to regard cities as human creations that are designed to meet human needs and aspirations, rather than just representing physical concentrations of urban hardware such as buildings and infrastructure. A critical reflection of cities as citadels of national and global importance is presented to provide new opportunities for human growth and development. The chapter concludes with some policy recommendations on how the challenges of urban development could be tackled in Africa.