Rapid urbanisation already poses enormous social, environmental, and economic challenges to African national and local governments as well as to the population. Local and municipal governments often lag behind with their spatial planning and infrastructure construction due to the rapid influx into the cities and other structural hurdles.

The lack of access to basic services, social inequality, and insufficient empowerment of local actors are some of the pressing challenges, which the COVID-19 pandemic has further sharpened and increased the need to act. For this reason, urbanisation in Africa and the associated development potential is a relevant field of action for international cooperation and German development cooperation.

During the online event, representatives of national and local governments will discuss with urban development experts and practitioners about long-term socially and ecologically just urban development, good governance, and national, local, and sectoral planning for sustainable infrastructure.

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