Sahel and West Africa Club/Club du Sahel et de l'Afrique de l'Ouest

Planning for Urban Expansion: A Must-Read 📘 Making room for Africa’s cities Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics 2025: Planning for Urban Expansion, a joint report from the Sahel and West Africa Club/Club du Sahel et de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, the African Development Bank Group, Cities Alliance and UCLG Africa  provides the most comprehensive analysis of the continent’s urban transformation to date with detailed projections for urban population growth and spatial expansion through 2050 in over 11 000 urban agglomerations across 54 countries. These first-of-their-kind projections reveal important regional trends and spatial features that inform policy makers and urban planners in the design of sustainable and liveable cities. 📖 Join the conversation on Africa's urban expansion and explore key policy implication for urban planning, governance and financing provided in Africa's Urbanisation Dynamics 2025 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e2eBFmHS 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 The key challenge facing Africa’s urban agglomerations is how to make room for their growing populations. Most of Africa’s urban areas will be built in the next few decades. Because of the rapid pace of urban expansion, it is crucial to strengthen the relevance, capacity and speed of urban planning.  𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 Effective land governance is pivotal for managing urban expansion. As cities grow rapidly, pressures on land governance systems will intensify. Strengthening these systems is essential for urban planning and attracting greater public and private investment, ensuring transparent land tenure and robust regulatory frameworks. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 Governments play a central role in shaping spending priorities through policy and direct investment. A cohesive strategy—combining vision, governance reforms, and regulation—is essential to attract and sustain investment in urbanisation. #AUD2025 #UrbanPlanning #SustainableCities #AfricasUrbanFuture

🚧 Infrastructure and regional development Well-maintained roads support economic activity and stability. Limited road density and maintenance create additional challenges in North and West Africa. ➡️ Read the new OECD/SWAC report on roads and conflicts in North and West Africa: bit.ly/RoadsConflicts #InfrastructureForPeace #RegionalStability #Africa Olivier Walther Steven Radil Jennifer Sheahan University of Florida Sahel Research Group jeuneafrique ACLED Arianna Ingle

📊 Transport networks and stability 75% of reported security incidents in North and West Africa occur within one kilometre of a major road, highlighting the importance of transport corridors for connectivity and stability. A new OECD/SWAC report updates and maps the evolution of violence in North and West Africa and discusses the role of infrastructure in consolidating national and regional cohesion. ➡️ Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gNfJCr_Y #InfrastructureForPeace #RegionalStability #Africa Olivier Walther Steven Radil University of Florida Sahel Research Group ACLED Jennifer Sheahan

🌍🌡️ Comment adapter les villes africaines à des vagues de chaleur de plus en plus intenses ? Cette question a occupé une place centrale lors d’une table ronde réunissant des maires de tout le continent, et à laquelle l’OCDE/CSAO a contribué. Brilé Anderson a mis en perspective les tendances croissantes de chaleur extrême et d’urbanisation en Afrique de l’Ouest. Le maire de Cotonou, le président du conseil régional de Tadjourah, le vice-président de la mairie de Casablanca et le directeur des transports et de l’environnement de la Région de Nouakchott ont partagé des initiatives inspirantes : 🌿 Solutions basées sur la nature 🌾 Développement de l’agriculture urbaine 🏗️ Utilisation de matériaux de construction adaptés Des approches concrètes et locales pour bâtir des villes plus résilientes face au climat. #Urbanisation #ChangementClimatique #Afrique #VillesDurables #RésilienceUrbaine #OCDE #CSAO

Hier, notre collègue Brilé Anderson du Sahel and West Africa Club/Club du Sahel et de l'Afrique de l'Ouest a participé au panel "Adapter les transports en Afrique" lors du Sommet Climate Chance Europe Afrique 2025 à Marseille. 📜 Elle a eu l'honneur de discuter aux côtés de Milnael Gomez de MobiliseYourCity, Philippe Sohouenou, PhD de Resallience, Dols Marie, experte en urbanisme et mobilité, et Djan FANNY de l'Autorité de la Mobilité Urbaine du Grand Abidjan (AMUGA). L'événement a mis en lumière l'urgence et l'importance d'adapter les systèmes de mobilité urbaine au changement climatique, en particulier pour les villes vulnérables des pays du Sud. Les intervenants ont démontré avec succès comment intégrer les principes d'adaptation dans la planification de la mobilité durable, en présentant des exemples concrets et des actions illustratives.🚌 Des stratégies clés pour réussir cette adaptation ont été identifiées et mises en avant, accompagnées d’études de cas inspirantes de projets français. Grâce à la coopération décentralisée, ces initiatives offrent des solutions concrètes et transposables aux villes africaines.🏙️ Ce Panel a également été l'heureuse occasion de croiser Charlène Kouassi, invitée de l'épisode "À quoi ressemble une mobilité accessible, durable et inclusive dans les villes africaines ?" de notre podcast Women Leading Change.🎙️ #ClimateChange #MobilitéDurable #Urbanisme #Coopération #ClimateChance #CSAO #OCDE

How does infrastructure shape power and policy in conflict zones?   Our latest report, Roads and Conflicts in North and West Africa, sheds light on how transport networks influence mobility, security, and territorial control—offering key insights for policymakers working on peacebuilding and regional development.   Presented at the 2025 American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting in Detroit by Olivier Walther, the report offers evidence on how armed groups and governments compete for control over road infrastructure.   📊 Drawing on 24 years of data from the ACLED project (2000–24), the analysis supports more targeted, evidence-based policies that consider infrastructure not just as a development tool, but also a strategic asset in conflict dynamics.   🔗 Read the full publication ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gNfJCr_Y #InfrastructureForPeace #RegionalStability #Africa #AAG2025

This week, OECD/SWAC held a working session with AUDA NEPAD to explore opportunities for collaboration in transforming food systems, fostering rural development, and advancing intra-African and regional integration within the framework of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP). Discussions focused on enhancing evidence-based policymaking, strengthening public-private partnerships, and promoting regional trade to support agricultural and food markets. A key priority was leveraging OECD/SWAC’s expertise in data-driven and spatial analyses to map food trade corridors—essential drivers of youth and women’s employment, healthier diets, and urbanisation in Africa. Looking ahead, OECD/SWAC and AUDA-NEPAD are committed to deepening their cooperation through joint research, knowledge-sharing, and targeted policy dialogues. These efforts will reinforce the implementation of the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2035 and the African Union’s 2025 Kampala Declaration for Africa’s agrifood systems, ensuring that food systems are more resilient, inclusive, and capable of driving long-term economic development across the continent. #FoodSystems #Agriculture #RegionalIntegration #EconomicDevelopment AUDA NEPAD Estherine Fotabong Nana Toure Philipp Heinrigs Alban Mas Aparisi Koffi E. Zougbédé Jill Bouscarat

Notre rapport « Dynamiques de l’urbanisation africaine 2025 » fait l’actualité ! 📣 Le Point consacre un article à la transformation urbaine du continent africain en s’appuyant sur nos analyses. D’ici 2050, deux Africains sur trois vivront en ville : la population urbaine passera de 704 millions à 1,4 milliard. Une croissance sans précédent qui pose d’immenses défis en matière d’infrastructures, de logement et de services de base, mais qui représente à la fois une formidable opportunité pour le développement du continent. Comment accompagner cette dynamique pour en faire un levier de prospérité? 📖 Découvrez l’article ici 👉 https://lnkd.in/e63m68XJ 📘Retrouvez notre rapport pour en savoir plus https://lnkd.in/eAbKQUra #Urbanisation #Afrique #Développement #VillesAfricaines #DynamiquesUrbaines #OCDE African Development Bank Group Cities Alliance UCLG Africa - CGLU Afrique Sylvie Rantrua

🌍 We're excited to participate in the #N4G Forum in Paris this week, to discuss critical issues around nutrition in West Africa 🌾.   Nutrition, healthy diets and food security lie at the heart of our work 🍏. Aligning with the N4G momentum, we've launched a new interactive story exploring the rapid transformations in diets and food environments in West Africa: https://lnkd.in/ebYZCwgq 📲. West Africa's nutrition policies must keep pace with its rapidly changing food landscape 🏙️🍲. As urbanisation accelerates, consumers are increasingly turning to kiosks, shops and street vendors for their meals. This shift is having a profound impact on food availability, affordability and nutritional quality.   Dive deeper into our findings by reading the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/g9BmqqpF 📖.   #Nutrition #FoodSecurity #WestAfrica #OECD #SWAC #HealthyDiets #Urbanisation #N4G2025 Photo: Ruth McDowall

Our new Director, Mrs. Nana Touré, was welcomed by Ambassador Sangdae Choi, Representative of the Permanent Delegation of the Republique of Korea to the OECD, last week. 🤝 This visit was a key opportunity to strengthen the already positive relationship between SWAC and Korea and to explore new avenues for collaboration building on the momentum of the 1st Korea-Africa Summit held last year. 👥 With the Sahel and West Africa Club/Club du Sahel et de l'Afrique de l'Ouest preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary and Korea approaching 30 years of OECD-OCDE membership in 2026, the timing couldn’t be more fitting. 🎞️ The discussions explored exciting avenues for collaboration, from leveraging Korea’s expertise in sustainable development to amplifying West Africa’s voice on the global stage. Together, we aim to address shared challenges like climate resilience, food security and regional integration—priorities that resonate with both SWAC’s mission and Korea’s strategic vision.🗺️ This meeting sets a strong foundation for future progress and we look forward to the next series of discussions! Dominic O'Shea Arlette HIRWA Inhoi Heo Youngshil KIM