Workers process recycled plastic into blocks which can be used in road construction at the Nelplast Ghana Ltd factory in Ashaiman, suburban Accra on April 6, 2018. - People in Ghana's capital, Accra, regularly complain that the city's streets are filthy and that piles of rubbish spill out of the open, roadside drains.Blocked drains from an accumulation of trash are regularly blamed for often devastating flooding that hits the city during the annual rains.But a young engineer is looking to new technology to recycle the thrown-away plastic and turn them into blocks that can be used to build roads. (Photo by CRISTINA ALDEHUELA / AFP) (Photo by CRISTINA ALDEHUELA/AFP via Getty Images)
Can Africa learn from the Chinese urbanisation story?
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Working paper - Where Africa could learn from the Chinese urbanisation story
PDF document • 5.38 MB
This paper provides a framework to understand the similarities and differences between Africa’s current urbanisation pathway and the path China has taken over the last 30 years.
A major difference is that Africa’s urbanisation to date has not been associated with anywhere near the same gains in productivity and poverty reduction that have been seen in China. Instead, the growth of Africa’s cities has more often been associated with development challenges such as the rise of slums, unemployment, and political instability. However, with well-implemented and far-sighted public policy, this trend could be reversed and urbanisation could unlock a process of sustained and inclusive development in Africa.