The growth of Africa’s towns and small cities is transforming the continent
Urbanisation is making lives better, but not by as much as it could
In 2012, when Moses Aloo inherited a plot from his grandfather, his neighbourhood in Kisumu, western Kenya, had plenty of farmland. But over the past decade, as Kisumu has grown, Nyamasaria has become part of the city. Mr Aloo is building two houses on his land. He will rent them out, “hopefully to God-fearing people”, for 8,000 Kenyan shillings ($62) each per month, more than twice the going rate five years ago. “Now it is urban,” he says, “this is a prime area.”
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Beyond the metropolis”
From the March 11th 2023 edition
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