The Challenges of Urbanization in Africa and Strategies for Addressing Them

Urbanization is an inevitable process in a country's economic development. With a rapidly growing population and huge growth potential, as well as the increasing level of consumption power, Africa is accelerating its urbanization process. However, the level of urbanization development in most African countries is still relatively low, showing that they are not prepared for the rapid urbanization. There is a severe shortage of public facilities: for instance, schools, hospitals, public transportation, and waste disposal systems are far from meeting its needs. Consequently, the urbanization process in Africa is accompanied by a series of challenges. This paper analyses the current characteristics of urbanization development in Africa at the first place. And then, through a comparative analysis with China, it is found that the urbanization process in Africa has not brought about corresponding economic growth. By using the urbanization quality evaluation model, it is concluded that the quality of urbanization development in most African countries is not high. On this basis, the paper finally analyses the causes of the challenges in African urbanization development and deeply explores how they can be improved.