ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the competitiveness of African cities by highlighting the nature of urban growth and the context within which cities operate. African cities are growing rapidly in the middle of political, social and economic transition. African cities are exposed to growth and related challenges of growth, with many publications focusing on these aspects. The East African Community in partnership with member states has developed policies aimed at enhancing planned and controlled urbanisation in regional cities. The inability of African cities to create jobs for the ever-growing city population has pushed a majority of city residents into the informal sector economy, a sector that faces challenges of skills and meaningful production. The effort to urbanise is confronted with the scarcity of infrastructure and services that most African states face. A trend is emerging of developing smart cities across the African continent, which is not only undermining the development of existing cities but also intensifying class divisions.
