HABARI

Inputs forInteractive Panel “Sustainable Urbanization in Africa”
UN ECOSOC Integration Segment
Mr. AmiriNondo, Lord Mayor of Morongoro, Tanzania, UCLG Champion
28 May 2014: 15:00-18:00
African cities and public services for all
Dear Secretary-General, Ministers, Excellencies, Mayors, Colleagues and Friends,
I am pleased and honoured, as Lord Mayor of Morongo, Member of the
Board of the Association of Local Authorities of Tanzania, and in my capacity
as UCLG Champion, to have the opportunity to contribute to this discussion
on ‘Sustainable Urbanization in Africa’.
As colleagues have already highlighted, Africa is facing an urban future. We
are observing rapid urbanization across the continent. So rapid, in fact,
thatefforts made to fast-track urban development to accommodate the
growth in the urban population have so far been insufficient. This has
meant that urbanization in Africais not leading to an automatic rise in
prosperity. Instead, urban growth is taking the form of informal settlements
and slums.What we are seeing is the urbanization of poverty.
African cities are home to the highest proportion of poor people without
access to basic services. Rates of access to drinkable water in urban areas
have been stagnant for the last two decades, and have declined in many
Sub-Saharan African cities. There is a growing backlog, for instance, in the
provision of piped water. Africa would have to triple its coverage to meet
the MDG target on sanitation; in many cities, barely a quarter of residents
have access to adequate sanitation.
It is a priority for cities to address the issue of basic service provision in the
slums that already exist. They must recognize the dual system of service
delivery that is already operating in most African cities: a formal public
system covering part of the city, and an informal system provided by small
private operators in the outskirts and informal settlements. Cities should
adopt local policies that accommodate and link up the two systems in a
single whole city delivery policy.
This is why it is vital to support the campaign for stand-alone Urban SDG
in the post-2015 agenda. We must also call for the appropriate ‘localization’
of all targets and indicators of the post-2015agenda so that they take
account of local needs and contexts, and so that sub-national disparities in
progress can be measured and tackled.
Global statistics also fail to recognize the distinct impact of deficient basic
services on women. The empowerment of women will only be achieved if
they are freed from the daily chores of fetching drinking water finding fuel
for cooking. It is also crucial that basic services are provided with a gender
sensitive approach.
Access to basic services is essential to improving the living conditions of
city-dwellers, but it is also a key for economic growth. Many African
businesses cities inadequate provision of electricity, water, sanitation and
transport as major constraints on business competitiveness, city
attractiveness, investment and growth.
Of course, sustainable urbanization in Africa must include a strategy to
mitigate and adapt to climate change.After all, urban slums in Africa are
home to many of the people most seriously at risk from extreme weather
events and rising sea levels. They often live in the most hazardous areas
and are unserved by the kind of basic service infrastructure that can be
strengthened and adapted to withstand extreme conditions. Building the
capacity of vulnerable people to adapt the climate change is essential. It is
critical that they develop locally rooted strategies to respond to both current
and anticipated threats.
The challenge we face of providing and financing basic services in a
sustainable way in all in African cities is huge. The scale of investment
required in basic service infrastructure amounts to around USD 90 billion
per year for the coming 20 years.
The question, then, is how do we do it? Part of the answer lies in
decentralization and improved local governance.A greater involvement of
local governments in the delivery of basic services could play a major part
in increasing service access and quality. In South Africa, for example, the
Free Basic Services strategy, implemented by local governments, has meant
that access to basic services has dramatically increased over the past 15
years.
Unfortunately, the commitment by most national governments to
decentralization is still partial. Only a small proportion of infrastructure
spending is planned for, managed or financed by local governments,
impeding the improvement of service delivery. Local governments need
appropriate and dynamic local taxation powers and predictable regular
transfers from central governments. Local governments must also be
empowered to set and collect user tariffs, and to establish tariff subsidies or
safety nets. They should also have the option to use land value capture
mechanisms to raise revenues for investments. As the level of government
closest to the people, local governments are best placed to make strategic
investments in infrastructures and to target support to those most in need
to guarantee universal access to basic services.
But increased legal and financial capacities, while essential, are not enough.
City governments must employ strategic urban planning and land
management with a long-term vision to limit the growth of informal
settlements, promote less segmented and divided cities, and harness the
agglomeration advantages provided by urbanization. Densely populated
urban areas can be the most economically efficient, socially inclusive and
environmentally friendly models of human settlement, if planned for and
managed properly.
Above all, I would like to call for urban policy that is people-centred. This
means increased citizen participation, lively democratic debate and
strengthened partnerships between local governments, the private sector,
and community organizations in pursuit our common goal: sustainable
African cities.