World Bank calls for translating African urbanisation into growth, jobs

The Bank recommends better planning for urban expansion, targeted investment in infrastructure and transport, and stronger regulatory frameworks and land governance.

The World Bank (WB) has called on countries in sub-Saharan Africa to turn the region's rapid urbanisation into a powerful engine of economic growth and job creation.

The region's urban population grew from 170 million in 1975 to 913 million in 2025 and is projected to reach 1.7 billion by 2050, the international financial institution said in a report, adding that around 15 million young people enter the region's labour market each year.

Sustained population growth in particular underscores the need for creating more jobs correspondingly for youth while expanding access to productive, better-paying employment, according to the report titled "Africa's Urban Awakening: Catalysing Economic Growth and Job Creation," which was published Wednesday.

The Bank recommends better planning for urban expansion, targeted investment in infrastructure and transport, and stronger regulatory frameworks and land governance. It also calls for greater mobilisation of private capital to finance urban facilities and services.

Marie-Chantal Uwanyiligira, WB division director for Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Guinea and Togo, noted that currently in the region, "productivity gains remain limited, incomes have grown slowly, and too many jobs remain informal and poorly paid."

In Cote d'Ivoire, official data showed it had 17.84 million urban residents out of an estimated total population of 32.8 million last year. The number of localities with more than 100,000 inhabitants increased from eight in 1998 to 17 in 2021.

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The West African country has prioritised urban development, mobility and improvements in people's living conditions in its 2026-2030 national development plan.