Friday 14 October, 11:00-12:30 BST
Register to attend via Zoom or in-person at The University of Manchester
People living in Africa’s cities benefit from higher socioeconomic outcomes and standards of living than the countries in which they are located. Urbanisation is an opportunity for Africa, and governments should maximise its benefits by investing in cities of all sizes.
Philipp Heinrigs is head of unit at the OECD and co-author of Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics 2022. He will discuss the findings and implications of this important report, which provides a new perspective on Africa’s urban economies that is unique in its breadth and level of detail. Based on data from more than 4 million individuals and firms across 2,300 cities in 34 countries, it presents compelling evidence that urbanisation in Africa contributes to better economic outcomes and higher standards of living.
Kunal Sen, director of UNU-WIDER and part of the African Cities Research Consortium, will provide further insights. The event will be chaired by ACRC’s CEO, Diana Mitlin.
Speaker bio
Philipp Heinrigs is head of unit at the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and co-author of Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics. He has over 15 years of experience working on African economies with a focus on regional integration, rural and agricultural development, structural transformation, cities and urbanisation. Prior to joining the OECD he worked in the Economic Policy Department of GIZ and the Kiel Institute for World Economics. He studied economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Header photo credit: Moiz Husein / Getty Images (via Canva Pro). Dar es Salaam cityscape.
Note: This article presents the views of the author featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.
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