ABSTRACT
Urban growth in Black Africa indicates that net migration is probably the predominant factor. There are, however, many African towns in which natural growth has already become the primary cause of population expansion, and the trend is clearly in this direction because the rural population supply is undergoing a relative decline, and there is an increasing number of women of childbearing age in towns. Knowledge of the causes of in-migration and continued urban residence also facilitates an understanding of the larger political, social, economic, and cultural systems of which the urban areas are a part. The relationship between urban areas and larger sociopolitical environments can also be viewed in terms of the impact of in-migration and town life. However, in-migration and town life also have “positive” effects. One of the most widely reported findings from research on in-migration in Africa is that informants say the economic motive was predominant in their decision to come to a town.
