Africa's Urban Population Set to Double by 2050 as Leaders Gather in Nairobi
Nairobi, 9 April 2026
The Second Africa Urban Forum convened in Nairobi this week with nearly 10,000 participants addressing the continent’s housing crisis as urbanisation accelerates. Africa’s urban population is projected to surge from 700 million to 1.4 billion by 2050, creating unprecedented challenges for housing and infrastructure. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi emphasised the urgent need to shift from dialogue to action, stating it’s time to move ‘from conversation to execution’ with bankable projects and implementable policies. The three-day forum aims to produce the Nairobi Declaration and actionable solutions.
Continental Platform Addresses Housing Crisis
The Africa Urban Forum serves as the continent’s premier platform for multistakeholder dialogue on urbanisation and human settlements [3]. The forum is convened by the African Union Commission and hosted by the Government of the Republic of Kenya with technical support from UN Habitat and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa [1]. This year’s theme, ‘Adequate Housing for All: Advancing Socio-economic and Environmental Transformation towards the Realization of Agenda 2063’, places housing at the heart of Africa’s urban future as a unifying lens for development, resilience, and inclusion [3]. The inaugural Africa Urban Forum was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 4 September to 6 September 2024, setting the stage for an inclusive continent-wide dialogue to remake cities already grappling with inadequate shelter, crime, poverty and climatic shocks [1][2].
Government Leaders Call for Urgent Implementation
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, Alice Wahome, warned that the forum comes at a critical moment, stating: ‘The decisions we make, the partnerships we build and the commitments we advance here will determine whether Africa’s cities become engines of inclusion, resilience and shared prosperity, or whether existing inequalities deepen’ [1]. Uganda’s Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, emphasised that housing is a critical pillar of Agenda 2063’s vision of a prosperous and integrated Africa [1]. This transformation will shape not only the physical form of urban settlements, but the very structure of economies, the resilience of societies and the trajectory of development across the continent [2].
Technical Sessions Focus on Climate-Resilient Solutions
The forum includes specialised sessions exploring how decision-makers can shift housing into a strategic lever for resilience, social inclusion, and sustainable urban transformation [3]. On Thursday, 9 April 2026, the World Resources Institute and partners held an event on ‘Housing and the Climate Nexus: Pathways to Resilient, Affordable, and Low-Carbon Urban Futures in Africa’ from 16:00 to 17:30 at the Kenya International Convention Center [3]. A side event presenting early findings from the State of African Cities Report 2026 took place on Thursday from 14:00 to 15:00, assessing urban land valuation across Africa and how Land-Value Capture can drive investment in infrastructure, housing, public spaces, and climate adaptation [3]. The report includes case studies from Freetown, Addis Ababa, Kigali, Lomé, Stellenbosch, Dar es Salaam, and Kumasi [3].
Investment-Ready Infrastructure Pipeline Development
On Friday, 10 April 2026, from 9:00 to 10:00, a side event on ‘Financing Climate-Resilient Urban Infrastructure for Adequate Housing: From City Plans to Investment-Ready Projects in Africa’ will take place at the Kenya International Convention Center [3]. This session will showcase how the Climate-resilient Infrastructure Investments in Cities platform, led by the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa, C40 Cities’s Finance Facility, and the City Climate Finance Gap Fund, are helping transform urban climate priorities into investment-ready infrastructure pipelines through integrated and coordinated technical support [3]. The session will include case studies from cities in Ghana and Kenya [3]. Patience Zanelie Chiradza, director of governance and conflict prevention at the African Union Commission’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, emphasised that well-planned cities providing basic services like housing, clean drinking water, sanitation and green mobility will be key to realising Africa’s long-term transformation agenda [2].