“Strengthening rural livelihoods in the face of rapid urbanisation in Africa” was the topic of a Brussels Briefing organised on 20 March by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), BMZ/GIZ and partners. Thomas Allen, from the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD) participated in a panel discussion on rural transformation and job creation. His presentation argued that although the farming sector will continue to provide the most jobs, labour is increasingly moving out of farming, requiring people to develop different skills. Read on

Irreversible urbanisation: Africa is the least urbanised continent in the world, but an irreversible urban transition is very much underway. In West Africa, the number of urban agglomerations increased from 152 in 1950 to almost 2 000 in 2010. Read on

A dense network of small and medium-sized agglomerations Read on

The city is the engine of the food economy: Rural populations tend to concentrate in areas near cities. The growth of cities therefore stimulates the integration of rural and urban areas, and the vector of integration is trade. Markets provide at least two-thirds of household food consumption in West Africa. Read on