Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has identified poor planning, policy gaps and budgetary inadequacies as the bane of urbanisation in Africa.
Osinbajo made the statement when he declared open Habitat III African Regional Meeting on New Urban Agenda in Abuja on Thursday.
He said that forced urbanisation caused by terrorist attacks had left many living in internally-displaced people’s camps.
“Africa should ensure that internally displaced people’s camps do not become a way of life in the continent.
“Poor urban planning and shortage of housing has pushed people to live in slum areas.
“Africa should use this regional meeting to advance a positive narrative to African development,” the vice-president said.
He said the Federal Government would welcome Africa’s common position on the New Urban Agenda, adding that the common front should propel Africa’s development.
Osinbajo said that African economies should be diverted from importation and managed in a sustainable way as a force for continued development.
He said that Africa’s response to urbanisation should be as a development gain.
Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, said that infrastructure was an important tool to deal with the realities of urbanisation.
According to him, the choices made in various ministries’ policies define whether urbanisation can be a tool for development.
Fashola said that in as much as there were universal standards for road and other infrastructure developments, Africa must reach for the best in the world.
He said that agriculture should be seen as a tool for sustainable urbanisation as rural areas needed to be supported.
The minister said that security and hospitals should also be taken to the rural areas to stop urban migration.
Fashola said that it was unsafe environment that bred vulnerability for everybody, not just for women and children. (NAN)
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