Demographic trends

  • 08 Jun 2016

    Toward a new vision of urbanisation in Africa

    Topics: 
    Culture & Society
    Demographic trends
    Infrastructure
    Urban-rural development
    Opinion: 
    Opinion
    Body: 
    In an article posted on the new OECD blog on development, "Development Matters", UN-Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos explains why the challenges of the 21st century require a new concept of urbanisation in Africa. If African cities do not facilitate intra-city movement and do not improve their connections with rural areas, their urbanisation will not support the economic opportunities urbanisation has created elsewhere. Read on
  • 01 Apr 2016

    Rural and urban populations are moving closer together

    Topics: 
    Demographic trends
    SWAC: 
    SWAC
    Body: 
    Africa is the least urbanised continent in the world but an urban transition is very much underway. This is particularly visible in West Africa where the number of urban agglomerations increased from 152 in 1950 to almost 2 000 in 2010. Today towns and cities are home to 41% of the region’s total population. Read on
  • 28 Mar 2016

    What future for African cities?

    Topics: 
    Demographic trends
    Infrastructure
    Regional integration
    SWAC: 
    SWAC
    Body: 
    As part of its programme “Le Grand Débat”, the Pan-African radio channel, Africa N°1, dedicated a special issue to the future of African cities. Senior Economist Philipp Heinrigs of the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD) presented key findings from the most recent update of the Africapolis study, which provides a comprehensive and comparable dataset on urbanisation in West Africa. Read on
  • 12 Feb 2016

    Realizing the demographic dividend in Africa

    Country: 
    Ghana
    Topics: 
    Demographic trends
    Gender & Youth
    Health
    Body: 
    African leaders are gearing up to realize the demographic dividend in Africa. John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana, opened the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Accra on 8 February 2016. The five-day conference gathered some 1 000 high-level experts, including African women and youth associations and other civil society representatives. Read on
  • 28 Jan 2016

    SWAC presents at rural-urban connections conference

    Topics: 
    Agriculture & Fisheries
    Demographic trends
    Food security
    SWAC: 
    SWAC
    Body: 
    The University of Copenhagen hosted a conference on "Rural-urban connections in sub-Saharan Africa" from 25-28 January. Participants explored the impacts of mobility and urbanisation on poverty and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Thomas Allen from the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat at the OECD (SWAC/OECD) was invited to present on key changes in the West African agro-food value chains. Read on