IT IS estimated that by 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas with 60 per cent of the land projected to be urban by 2030. With many more people drifting from rural areas to the expanding urban centres in search for jobs, the issue is not whether to urbanise or not but rather how best urbanisation can be managed for the benefit of the citizens. According to the UN Economic and Social Council, urbanisation has got the potential to deliver sustainable development if planned and handled accordingly. Rwanda is on the right track in terms of developing an urbanisation strategy to match the rapid development the country is undergoing. The country has among other things promoted orderly migration, invested in basic infrastructure and adopted policies that support affordable housing and transport. The establishment of intermediary cities, emphasis on vocational training and adoption of YouthConnekt, a programme that aims at providing young people with the skills to enable them create their own jobs are among the several policies the country has undertaken to mitigate the risk of urbanisation. President Paul Kagame while addressing the first Integration Summit at the UN headquarters on Tuesday said innovation and cooperation rather than alarm is the best response to the risks associated with urbanisation. With statistics showing that Rwanda’s urbanisation is moving at a rate of 4.8 per cent per annum compared to general average of about 1.8 per cent, all that is needed is more innovation and skilling on the side of urban dwellers as well as continued strategic planning on the side of government and city authorities.
