ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the nature of urbanisation and poverty in Africa. We examine contemporary debates in urban studies regarding the current trends and future trajectories of cities on the African continent. We discuss the relationship between development, economic growth, and urbanisation and the conflicting evidence for this relationship in Africa. Most research focuses on larger African cities, and not smaller cities, which are predicted to be the site of most future urban growth. Thus, we attempt to address this knowledge gap by considering how these dynamics play out in secondary cities specifically.
