An urban lens on national development planning

Abstract

The present report is intended to address the role of cities in development, providing entry points for policy-making and practical guidance on bringing cities into each stage of the national development planning process. Rather than seeing urbanization as a “sector,” it is argued in this report that the growth of cities is a necessary pathway to inclusive and sustainable structural transformation and economic development in Africa, most importantly through the generation of productive urban jobs. National development planners need to make hard choices to prioritize specific programs and investment with limited resources on the basis of what will most effectively create productive urban jobs in the short and long term. This, in turn, will generate the desired improvement in human development, social indicators and well-being.