Wang Zi, reporter of Zhongqing Daily and China Youth Network
When Kenya became independent in 1963, the capital Nairobi had a population of only about 360,000. Today, Nairobi has at least 4.4 million inhabitants, of whom about 2.5 million live in informal settlements, or slums as many call them.
Architect Rogers Ogwangi wanted to step into politics, and to that end, he studied the city's "problems." In his view, urban planners are unable to cope with the influx of people, and formal budgets for housing, jobs and basic services are woefully inadequate. "The garbage collection here is handled by youth groups." Ogwangi pointed to piles of uncollected garbage and leftovers and told The Economist magazine.
In informal settlements, many people line up to use public pit toilets. On rainy days, sewage overflows. In some apartment buildings, the water supply is intermittent. "(Water) is rationed regularly, for example, there is water from Monday to Wednesday and no from Thursday to Sunday." Ogwangi said.
Nairobi, which faces problems due to explosive population growth, is a microcosm of many cities in Africa's 54 countries. Vsevolod Sveridov, an expert at the Center for African Studies at the Higher University of Economics, recently told the Russian Satellite News Agency that the fastest urbanization in the world is Africa. "African cities are rapidly transforming into relatively small but purchasing economic hubs." He said.
Sveridoff cited data from McKinsey, a global management consulting firm, that the continent is now adding 24 million urban populations a year. According to the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, in 1950, the urban population of all of Africa was only 27 million.
The Economist said that the population of Europe and the Americas is leveling off, with the population of Asia expected to peak in 2050, and the trend of rapid population growth in much of Africa, which has high birth rates, will continue until the end of the century.
The UN's World Population Prospects 2022 report predicts that by 2050, more than half of the world's new population will be concentrated in eight countries: India, Pakistan and the Philippines in Asia, and Egypt, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. "The world's population is growing, and this challenge is particularly acute in Africa." According to the World Economic Forum website, by 2050, two out of every five births in the world will be born in Africa.
When Tanzania became independent in 1961, it had a population of about 10 million. In 2022, the figure was 61.74 million. The country is expected to have a population of 137 million by 2050. Such rapid growth is taking place across Africa. As of January 2021, Africa's population is about 1.286 billion. Africa's population is expected to double to 2.5 billion by 2050 and 4 billion by 2100.
Graça Machel, a former UNICEF chief, warns that young people have the potential to transform Africa, but if people ignore the living conditions of a rapidly growing young population, they can lead to increased poverty and inequality, and even affect peace, security and prosperity there.
Africa's cities are growing at a rapid pace. People are attracted by the prospect of a better life and flock to urban areas with modern technology and entrepreneurial opportunities. From Nairobi to Nigeria's commercial powerhouse Lagos, many cities have become fertile ground for entrepreneurship, with young people setting up businesses and attracting significant investment. Data from the United Nations predicts that between 2018 and 2035, 21 of the world's 30 fastest-growing cities will be in Africa.
This also means that the political, economic and social infrastructure and material supply in urban areas of African countries will face enormous pressure.
Seni Nafof, former chair of the UN Negotiating Group on Climate Change Africa, warned that much of Africa's urban expansion was "unplanned." Unlike many cities in Asia, which are densely built with high-rises, many cities in Africa are growing out aimlessly, making it difficult to effectively build the network effects of accessibility and infrastructure.
"Growth is unplanned, unregulated, and beyond the government's control. The problem soon became apparent. The World Economic Forum's 2020 report said the surge in residents has led to high unemployment in African cities, and a large number of people are engaged in "illegal jobs", making it impossible for the state to collect taxes. Infrastructure struggles to meet demand, leading to overcrowding and the proliferation of informal settlements. Garbage waste management does not keep up and destroys the environment.
In 2021, a 21-story building in Lagos collapsed, killing 45 people. Disaster risk expert Orazon Kanmi Habib Okunola said 166 similar construction accidents had been reported in Lagos in the previous 20 years.
Naifu pointed out that poorly planned cities are highly vulnerable to climate change. "As sea levels rise, twenty or thirty years later, Lagos, Cape Town, Alexandria ... It may not have sunk to the bottom yet, but the infrastructure will suffer huge losses and damage. ”
In April 2022, torrential rains and flooding hit South Africa, killing hundreds. The Port of Durban, Africa's largest port, was forced to halt operations, disrupting supply chains. In the pouring rain, containers containing cargo floated out of storage spaces at the Port of Durban terminal and into the Indian Ocean. South African President Ramaphosa said climate change was the main culprit for the "great disaster, the worst tragedy", but some Durban residents criticized the poor functioning of the local drainage system and poor quality of construction, which exacerbated the damage.
On 8 August 2022, the UN Security Council held an open debate on the theme "Peace and Security in Africa: Strengthening Capacity Building for Lasting Peace". Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, who presided over the meeting, said that African countries have been affected by multiple impacts such as the new crown epidemic, war and conflict, climate change, energy and food, and urgently hope that the international community will increase attention and investment.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference that lagging infrastructure is one of the bottlenecks restricting Africa's development. China has been cooperating with African countries in various ways within its capacity, helping them upgrade their infrastructure and contribute to Africa's independent and sustainable development. Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, as of July 2022, Chinese enterprises have built more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, nearly 1,000 bridges, nearly 100 ports, and a large number of hospitals and schools in Africa. China always believes that Africa should be a big stage for international cooperation, and all countries should, on the premise of respecting Africa's sovereignty and listening to Africa's voice, give play to their respective advantages and do more good things for the African people.
Source: China Youth Daily client