August 29, 2002
By Thomas Thale
AFRICAN mayors have agreed to establish a forum to share experiences and aggressively address development and sustainability issues, thus positioning themselves as important players in the implementation of summit resolutions.
This decision was taken at a workshop held as a parallel event to the World Summit on Sustainable Development currently underway in Sandton.
The African Mayors Forum on Sustainable Development will serve as a platform for mayors of various African cities to exchange ideas and to share experiences in a "mutually beneficial way" and to influence developments at the African Union.
In their declaration, the mayors commit themselves to acting decisively to stop environmental degradation, to improve governance in their cities and be responsive to the needs of their people. The African mayors first met in Midrand in July to lay the groundwork for an African perspective on the summit.
The leaders representing African cities had earlier noted that cities in Africa face similar challenges because of their colonial legacy. Some of the pressing challenges considered unique to Africa relate to rapid uncontrolled urbanisation, the preponderance of informal settlements, the HIV/Aids pandemic, uneven development of cities, lack of amenities and poor transport network.
Some of the cities have embarked on programmes of urban renewal, with varying degrees of success. Among the countries which presented their strategies for reversing the urban sprawl were Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. These case studies were intended to serve as models of development for other African cities.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has experienced the fastest rate of urbanisation with more than 40% of the population based in urban centres. Most of the newly urbanised remain unemployed and stay in slums. The government has however introduced multifaceted measures to clear slums and to attract investors.
The South African Minister of Housing, Sankie Mthembu-Mahanyele, outlined the interventions made by the South African government to reduce poverty, such as providing affordable housing, water and electricity.
Egypt was by far the country with the most ambitious programme of urban development. Nineteen new cities are under construction and a further 42 are being planned. This large-scale development entails the construction of housing, factories and other infrastructure. The plan is intended to shift migration patterns away from established routes and to move people into more sparsely populated areas.
Reverend Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, chairperson of the South African Local Government Association, said these experiences show that the problems of poverty and massive urbanisation are not unique to South Africa. "South Africa can't develop in isolation - we can learn a lot from our neighbours," Mkhatshwa said, adding "we want to reverse the deepening inequality between North and South. The challenge for us is to engage with globalisation and try to reshape it in a way which suits African societies."
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