Publications /
Policy Brief

Back
Download PDF
A Conversation with Policymakers, Mayors, and Urban Specialists: An African Perspective on Sustainable Urban Development and the G20
Authors
Arkebe Oqubay
January 20, 2025
Related topics: 
Economy

This paper, included in the report "Urban Sustainable Development: Governance, Finance and Politics.", was originally published on:https://cebri.org/en/doc/356/cebri-and-rio-g20-committee-publish-urban-sustainable-development-governance-finance-and-politics

 © Vormittag, Pedro, Marianna Albuquerque & Eugénie Birch (Eds.). 2024. Urban Sustainable Development: Governance, Finance and Politics. Rio de Janeiro: CEBRI.

 

Sustainable urban development is vital for Africa, offering opportunities for a better future that requires political commitment and a collective response to global challenges. A shared perspective and productive debate on Africa’s challenges and future are essential to enhance economic transformation, urban sustainability, and the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. This commentary presents a compelling conversation among African policymakers, leaders, practitioners, and specialists on this pressing theme conducted in September 2024.

The conversation was based on a semi-structured qualitative survey featuring a qualitative format, targeted at a spectrum of African mayors, national policymakers, leaders of continental organizations, and development practitioners—urban specialists. The respondents play a critical role in shaping public policy and practice and include Prime Ministers and the African Union Commission Chairperson, offering a snapshot of their perspectives and concerns. Of the fifty invited participants, nearly 50% completed the survey, including eight ministers, seven officials of continental organizations, five development and urban experts, and the mayors of Rabat, Freetown, Windhoek, and Cape Town.

Cities are vital in attaining the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the net-zero goals endorsed in 2015 under the Paris Agreement. The questionnaire comprised questions underpinned by cities’ contributions as innovation and economic growth engines, as well as Africa’s commitment to the common aspiration of the global community. African countries made a significant stride by unanimously adopting Agenda 2063, a 50-year road map with a theme of “Africa We Want,” which places sustainable urban development at its core. Most recently, in September 2024, the African Union Commission successfully organized an African Urban Forum in Addis Ababa. This pivotal forum delved into African urbanization and the challenges of financing to achieve sustainable and resilient urban development.

RELATED CONTENT

  • La place de l’Afrique dans le système de règlement des différends de l’OMC: Expérience, défis et perspectives
    Authors
    Jamal Machrouh
    July 2, 2019
    Quelle place l’Afrique occupe-t-elle dans le système de règlement des différends de l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce ? Les règles et procédures régulant ce système profitent-elles aussi bien aux pays en développement qu’aux pays développés, ou restent-elles l’apanage de ces derniers ? Le continent africain a-t-il les moyens de faire fonctionner un tel système ? La place marginale qu’occupe l’Afrique dans le système est-elle due à des facteurs endogènes ou à des fac ...
  • Interview with Sandra Polonia Rios
    June 27, 2019
    Intégration Régionale et Investissements Directs Etrangers: Retour sur les Expériences Brésilienne et Africaines - Sandra Polonia Rios, Directrice, CINDES -- www.policycenter.ma ...
  • Download PDF
    The Global Outlook, Trade Conflicts and Africa
    Authors
    Uri Dadush
    June 27, 2019
    After a long spell of slow growth in the wake of the global financial crisis, the global economy was gaining speed over 2016-2018, but this recovery is now in some danger. The likelihood of imminent recession is low but growth will be slow over 2019-2020, and growth next year presents many uncertainties. Growth is supported by the consumer for the time being, but business has become very nervous and something will have to give. There are significant and specific risks in the large e ...
  • Interview with Pedro da Motta Veiga
    June 27, 2019
    Intégration Régionale et Investissements Directs Etrangers: Retour sur les Expériences Brésilienne et Africaines - Pedro da Motta Veiga, Président, CINDES -- www.policycenter.ma ...
  • Explaining the role of commodity traders: A theoretical approach
    Authors
    Raphaël Chiappini
    Yves Jégourel
    June 22, 2019
    Empirical models of international commodity trade ows tend to show that exchange rate volatility has either no or negative impact on export volumes. This analysis has a number of limitations. In particular, it underestimates the role of physical traders and, consequently, the importance of future markets. In this context, this article aims to provide the theoretical underpinnings to demonstrate that these traders play a very particular role and that they have an influence on the rea ...
  • Download PDF
    The Geopolitics of the Renminbi Evolution
    Authors
    Marcus Vinicius de Freitas
    June 17, 2019
    There is no doubt that the ascension of China, which is at the centre of the global debate, is the most relevant fact of the 21st century. A rising power with many vulnerabilities, yet a clear understanding of what they are and with the willingness to actively reduce them to a minimum, manageable level. China has managed to become, after all, the second largest economy in the world, with outstanding economic performance. Globalisation has brought China from the periphery into the co ...
  • Download PDF
    Les politiques macroéconomiques au Maroc et dans les pays en développement : quelques études empiriques
    Authors
    Comité scientifique :
    Abdelaaziz Ait Ali
    Ahmed Bousselhami
    Idriss El Abbassi
    Amine Marrat
    Lahcen Oulhaj
    Aziz Ragbi
    Said Tounsi
    June 13, 2019
    L’analyse des mutations qu’a connues l’économie marocaine après la crise économique et financière de 2008, offre l’opportunité d‘évaluer l’orientation des politiques macroéconomiques gérées dans un contexte relativement difficile, mettant à l’épreuve les décideurs publics en matière de politique économique et leur engagement à préserver la stabilité du cadre macroéconomique. Un diagnostic approfondi revient à apprécier la pertinence des choix de politiques macroéconomiques par rappo ...
  • Towards a worldwide integrated market? New evidence on the dynamics of U.S., European and Asian natural gas price
    Authors
    Raphaël Chiappini
    Yves Jégourel
    Paul Raymond
    June 12, 2019
    Has the integration of European, North American and Asian natural gas markets been fostered over the last few years by growing LNG export capacities and an increasing market share of spot transactions? This is the key question that this article sets out to answer. For this purpose, we develop bivariate error correction models with structural breaks and asymmetric responses among gas references prices, oil prices, and coal prices. We use daily prices of all reference price ...
  • From ‘Rule of Law’ to ‘Law of the Jungle’: Global Trade seen through Twitter
    Authors
    Otaviano Canuto
    June 10, 2019
    This article was originally published on Center for Macroeconomics and development's website Friday night, US President Donald Trump announced by Twitter that he would suspend the implementation of tariffs on Mexican imports, which would start with 5% on Monday, June 10, to reach 25% in October. A signed agreement between the two countries, also confirmed by Twitter by Mexico’s foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard, would have included Mexican government’s commitments to t ...