High per cent of the population of urban dwellers in Africa are said to be living in informal or irregular settlement, which invariably can be referred to as the highest proportion of slum dwellers.

This is contained in a recent study of “The State of African Cities Report 2010” which was made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.

The report, which was published by the United Nation’s Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) revealed that the rate of growth of urban centres is faster in the African sub-region than any where else in the world.

According to the report, the urban growth rate of 3.4 per cent, ranks  Africa as the fastest urbanising continent in the world, while sub-Saharan Africa with two-third of its 304 million  urban dwellers living in informed or irregular settlement is deemed to have the highest proportion of slum dwellers in percentage term all over the world.

Juan Clos, the newly appointed executive Director of UNHSP, stated that, “No African government can afford to ignore the on-going rapid urban transition taking place across the continent” and blamed the continent’s  soaring urban growth rate essentially on climate change, violent  conflict and change in agricultural policies.

The climate change is said to be  affecting Africa’s ecosystem, especially the land use system, than any other continent of the world, while violent conflict  which are often land related, based on struggle to access and control natural resources.

He said that regrettable  crisis affecting cities should also be seen as opportunities to rebuild and  operate better and make the African cities work for their citizens.

In his word, “The large scale of migration of people  to urban and peri-urban areas is a key factor in Africa’s rapid urbanisation process.

These migrants need resettlement areas that provide safety, food, water, a home, sustainable  livelihood and other social stimulants”.

Also, he stated that African urban  population lives in informal settlement, and that this is due to inequality in access to resources, especially land, which has serious implication on national  economies, since cities are key drivers of the economy.

Noting the imperative of sustainable urban development, he tasks African leaders and ministers in-charge of housing  and urban development on effective policies, laws and practice  on management of land and effective development.

Corlins Walter