Survival in the Sahel

Table 2
Urbanization in the Sahel (in %)
Country Urban population Annual prpulation growth rates
as % of total 1980-92
(1992) Total Urban
Burkina Faso 16.9 2.7 8.7
Niger 20.9 3.3 7.4
Mauritania 49.6 2.5 7.2
Chad 33.8 2.4 6.8
Gambia 23.8 3.8 6.1
Mali 25.1 2.6 5.2
Senegal 40.8 2.9 4.0
Average Sahel 30.1 2.8 6.0
Sources: World Bank, Social Indicatorsof Wealth 1994. (on diskette), Washington,
D.C. 1994; and World Bank, World Tables 1994. (on diskette), Washington,
D.C. 1994
Young people also often move to urban areas to escape
from the rigid social structure of traditional rural life. Once settled
in the city they no longer feel the pressure and influence of the
extended family and the village, and traditional values start losing
importance. The search for new values begins.
Prior to the revolutionar, changes in eastern Europe, the
younger generation was especially attracted to various forms of
socialism. In recent years, however, Islam-often in its fundamentalist
form--has had a growing appeal. Not least among the
reasons for this has been disappointment with the Western development
model, which is associated with colonialism and missionary
activities and has failed to bring about changes for the better.
But most of those who migrate from rural areas end up in
slums. City authorities do not have the resources to invest adequately
into housing, streets, drinking water, and sewage disposal
to meet the demand by the rapidly growing urban
populations. Experience has shown that very few who seek their
fortune in the city achieve what they have dreamed of and hoped
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