Institute to lead regional meet on challenges of growing cities

By: Unknown on 12:52 AM

Prof Joseph Semboja, Chief Executive Officer of UONGOZI Institute

The Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development (UONGOZI Institute) is set to hold a regional roundtable meeting to deliberate challenges of urbanisation and address the future of African cities. 

 

The forum is titled, ‘The future of Eastern African cities: how do we want to live in 2050’ and is slated to take place from February 19-20 in Dar es Salaam where Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda will officiate.

 

“The forum intends to discuss various challenges and opportunities presented by urbanisation in the region and how African leaders can tackle them in an inclusive manner,” explained Chief Executive Officer of UONGOZI Institute, Prof Joseph Semboja. 

 

“It will offer a chance for urban leaders and decision-makers from the Eastern Africa region to engage in constructive dialogue,” he added.

The professor noted that an increasing proportion of Africa (and indeed the world’s) population is living in urban areas adding to the congestion and pressure of housing, jobs and public services. 

 

“The forum is therefore meant to discuss how to address such challenges and imagine cities that reflect our desires,” said Prof Semboja.

According to UN-Habitat’s publication “The State of African Cities 2014”, East Africa is the world’s least urbanised but fastest urbanising sub-region in the world. 

 

It says by the end of the current decade, its urban population will have increased by 50 per cent and the total number of urban dwellers in 2040 is expected to be five times that of 2010.

 

“It follows, therefore, that Eastern Africa will face huge challenges associated with massive urban population increase, monumental new and additional demands for the provision of adequate and affordable housing and urban services and, perhaps most importantly, urban-based income-generation opportunities,” cautions Prof Semboja.

 

 “In fact urbanisation and urban development are both positive products of and forces for human development and economic growth – if we can get them right…” he added.

 

“…and that is what this regional round-table is all about….to set us on the right course by identifying top priorities and key ingredients of progress,”  he summed up.

 

Participants of the roundtable forum will be coming from: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. 

Those to take part at the roundtable meeting including high level representatives from the governments, regional and international organisations, cities representatives, academia, private sector and civil society organisations.