ABSTRACT
American and European visitors to Africa discover many similarities differences between the towns they see and those in their home countries. Urban conditions in Black Africa can usefully be described in terms of employment, housing, education and health. These are the critical problem areas, not only in the view of urban experts, also according to the opinions of many African townsmen, as confirmed by a sample survey which asked respondents to name their “biggest problem”. Many Africans living in rural areas are underemployed or virtually unemployed, as are a significant portion of those who migrate to towns. The inequality that exists in most African urban areas had led some politicians and commentators to predict the rapid crystallization of socio-economic classes. Although most African townsmen are employed, a significant minority is unemployed. The rural ties which have for most African town-dwellers remained strong is one possible explanation.
