Introduction

The outcomes of rapid urbanization amid inadequate capacity to plan and manage urban growth¹ has set most Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) cities on trajectories that undermine not only the wellbeing of most urban inhabitants, but also the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); particularly Goal 11, that aims at making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Trends in SSA cities have given rise to massive increase in urban inequality within cities and towns.² Freetown in Sierra Leone, Dire Dawa in Ethiopia and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania are among the most equal cities in SSA, with Gini coefficients of 0.32, 0.39 and 0.36, respectively. Urban inequalities are relatively higher in cities such as Yaoundé, Douala, Addis Ababa, Accra, and Kigali, levels of inequality in these cities – each of which has a Gini coefficient of below 0.5.³ SSA cities are the most unequal region in the world in terms of educational attainment and access to housing.

In looking at layers of urban inequalities in African cities, six key interconnected thematic issues are examined. These are:

>Unprecedented urbanization;

>Spatial planning and land management system;

>Informal housing land development;

>Basic infrastructure services delivery;

>Public transport system; and Internal conflicts and displacement.

The data and information presented in this working paper are collected from secondary sources, such as published papers and reports from different international and local organizations. The six thematic issues which are used to discuss the key features that characterize urban inequalities in the SSA countries were defined as key in the preparation of the GOLD VI report.