URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION

170
ECONOMIC REPORT ON AFRICA 2017
5.3 ENSURING BALANCED SYSTEMS OF CITIES
MAKING DIVERSE URBAN
SYSTEMS MORE RESILIENT
TO ECONOMIC CHANGE
African countries often have unbalanced national
urban systems with a very large primary city and less
competitive smaller cities (chapter 4). As industries
weigh location options, systems with few urban
alternatives deprive industrial firms of locational
opportunities. In response some African countries
have policies to rebalance their urban systems (figure
5.2). Yet such policies can be problematic, particularly
if they neglect much-needed investments in the
primary city and undermine the functionality of
that critical economic driver. Policies to develop
secondary cities risk wasting scarce resources when
these cities have low competitive potential (Annez
and Buckley, 2009).
Managing the trade-offs requires a close look at
location-based areas of comparative advantage.
Secondary cities can thrive by developing a
specialized set of products and leveraging linkages
to rural areas and large cities. For example, Garoua,
Cameroon, is a moderately sized city but a major
industrial player given its large cluster of agroprocessing
enterprises, many of them run by women
(Sautier et al., 2006). Enabling conditions include a
river port that offers access to regional markets and
Figure 5.2 Percentage of urban population in largest city and national policies to promote
urban system balance, 2015
Senegal’s industrial
firms are concentrated
in Dakar, but the
Accelerated Growth
Strategy under the
Export Creation
Agency seeks to
rebalance industrial
facilities throughout
the country through
industrial zones (Cissa
et al., 2016)
Egypt has an extensive
New Cities programme in
operation since the 1970s
to redirect growth away
from fertile cropland and
overcrowded metro areas
(described below).
Ethiopia’s development
strategy promotes seven
secondary cities and Addis
Ababa as growth centres
(described below).
Côte d’Ivoire is
promoting regional
centres as agro-industry
growth poles
(described below).
South Africa is
promoting balanced
territorial development
to overcome an
apartheid legacy, while
attempting to balance
the locational needs of
industry (described
below).
No data
0-10%
10-20%
20-30%
30-40%
40-50%
50-60%
60-70%
70-80%
80-100%
Source: World Development Indicators; Esri country boundaries.
Rwanda’s economic
strategy promotes six
secondary cities and Kigali
as poles of growth
(described below).
Mozambique’s Ministry of
Industry and the Special
Economic Zones Office
provides preferential
conditions, including
infrastructure, for
companies willing to invest
in rural and remote parts of
the country to promote
balanced territorial
development. But most
industrial projects still
occur near Maputo and
near the transborder
corridor with South Africa.