Africa's urban future: What next?

Faced with the ever-quickening pace of urbanisation, what is the future for Africa's swelling cities? Experts predict that Africa could be home to 40% of humanity by the end of this century, and that the twenty fastest-growing cities in the world will be in sub-Saharan Africa. Will the continent have the potential for a brilliant urban future – or for an increasingly bleak one? Much will depend, in large part, on how it’s managed. How can already highly pressurised African cities provide better opportunities for all their inhabitants?

Mike Wooldridge considers the future - and nothing is more pressing than the combination of this rapid urbanisation and accelerating climate change. In many cities, climate change will only add to the challenges. How the continent manages this, will not only affect the daily lives of the millions of Africans, but shape everything from migration and global economic prosperity to the future of the African nation state and the prospects for limiting climate crisis.

Presenter: Mike Wooldridge
Producer: Ruth Evans
A Ruth Evans production for BBC World Service

(Photo: Commuters wait to board a bus outside Nyanga during an ongoing strike by taxi operators in Cape Town, 10 August, 2023. Credit: Esa Alexander/Reuters)