Africa: Fear As Africa's Village Comes to Town And Forgets All About Home - Africa is coming to town! By the '80s less than 30 per cent of the Africans were living in cities. The United Nations predicts that in less than 10 years time more than half of the Africans will be city dwellers. Is it good or bad? What does this exodus from rural areas foretell to this continent? [AA Urbanisation]

By 2030 the majority of Africans will be urban residents, and the majority of them will live in slums and informal settlements unless radical corrective measures are taken. To leverage Africa's options in an environment that is simultaneously global and local, it is important for its leaders at all levels to develop forward-looking visions based on analyses of where Africa is now and where it wants to be in the future. 

This publication aims to provide focus and encouragement to African governments at the central and local level as well as to other key actors in the broad area of sustainable human settlements development. 

The report is available at http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/urbannewsletter/IssueFeb09/publications.asp#StateofAfricanCities

Johannesburg - Johannesburg Executive Mayor Amos Masondo will this morning visit the Alexandra Renewal Project, which recently won an award from United Nations Habitat for successfully revitalizing an urban environment.

The Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP) was launched in 2001 to bring social, economic, physical and institutional developments to the historic township.

Among its objectives were to fix urban infrastructure, build houses and parks, convert hostels into family units and generally change the urban landscape of Alexandra.

UN Habitat said the project had seen some 7 000 families relocated from the banks of a polluted local river to better settlements.

"Urban greening was incorporated in the scheme which led to development of parks and recreation areas, new houses and schools were constructed and many other facilities are being refurbished," said the organisation.

New clinics improved access to healthcare, while 46 000 hygienic refuse bins have been distributed, drastically improving garbage collection.

Nigeria: Re-Inventing Lagos - The Fashola Scenario - Way back in 1854, London was the largest city on the planet. This was some 155 years ago. Today, it no longer enjoys that reputation. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: 'Urbanisation Greatest Threat Facing Developing Nations' - Urbanisation has been described as one of the greatest threats facing the developing world and this phenomenon has special import for Nigeria where urbanisation tempo is both dramatic and overwhelming. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Cities, Engines of Economic Development -Expert - Cities are engines that drive the economic development of any nation and for a city to perform this classical role to its residents, its dense network of infrastructure should be adequately developed and maintained. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Lagos, Ogun Residents Want Pedestrian Bridges - The increasing rate of development embarked upon by Lagos and Ogun state governments could be described as commendable bearing in mind the capital intensiveness of the projects at various levels. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Urbanization Can Be Used to Develop Agriculture - An official of the Confederation of Associations of Mozambique, Mr. Jose Filipe, has said that urbanisation can be used to develop agriculture in Africa.Filipe stated this on Tuesday at the official opening ceremony of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Network (FANRPAN) annual stakeholders dialogue in Maputo. [AA Urbanisation]

Ghana: Minister Intervenes in Protest By Kobriso Residents - THE MINISTER of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms. Sherry Ayittey, has intervened in the impasse between residents of Kobriso community near Ejisu, and the Municipal Assembly, over the release of a parcel of land by the late Ejisuhene, Nana Aboagye Agyei II, to one Dr Alex Osei to put up a mortuary at the source of the Kobri stream, which supplies their drinking water. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Towards a Cleaner and Habitable Abuja - I am very happy that the FCT officials have decided to come and clear these areas. These people have been a cause for concern for us that live around here. With this, I am sure the crime rate here would reduce. I say so because most of the boys you see around here are idle. They do not have any known source of livelihood, yet they live here among us and spend money which nobody knows the source". [AA Urbanisation]

Angola: Official Calls for Preservation of Kuito City - The governor of the central Bié Province, Cândida Celeste da Silva, Saturday in Kuito appealed to the local residents to cooperate in the construction activities and preservation of the social, economic, and cultural structures, with a view to positively contribute to the development of this city. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Increase in Street Traders Leads to Tensions - The gloomy economic situation has led to an increase in the number of street traders in Cape Town and is in some cases resulting in tensions between locals and immigrants in the competition for trading space. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: New Abuja City Gate to Emerge After Road Expansion -Minister - FCT Minister Adamu Aliero has said a new Abuja City Gate will be built only after the completion of expansion work on the Airport Road. [AA Construction]

Angola: Luanda Govt Engaged in Structural, Urban Programmes - The administrative authorities of Luanda Province expect that by 2012 it will complete the current project of construction of infrastructures aimed at improving the supply of water and electricity, as well as basic sanitation, as part of a structural and urban plan. [AA Urbanisation]

Namibia: New 'Town' at Hosea Kutako - ABOUT 408 hectares of prime real estate next to Hosea Kutako International Airport has been earmarked for a "mixed-use development" - a combination of commercial and residential areas that will form a new self-sustaining town called Sungate Namibia. [AA Urbanisation]