Africa's Mega-Cities Groan Under Pressure Of Growth - Reuters

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Slums like Kibera are the ugly face of urbanisation in Africa whose cities are increasingly overwhelmed by property crises, crime, over-population and creaking infrastructure. "In the 1970s, Nairobi was truly the green city in the sun. It was safe to go for walks, there were no haphazard kiosks, no potholes," said a bookshop owner who gave his name as Chan. "Now the population has increased and infrastructure is strained."

International planners will come together next week in Nairobi for a five-day "Africities" summit to seek solutions to the problems caused by swelling populations in the continent's capitals.

Flows of rural people have strained resources for years. While some major cities have seen this migration stabilise, many remain burdened by the flow of people abandoning traditional subsistence farming due to conflict, environmental degradation and the breakdown of family structures devastated by AIDS.

According to the United Nations, sub-Saharan Africa, where 72 percent of the urban population lives in slums, has the highest rate of annual urban growth in the world. By 2030, more than half of Africans will live in cities, making up a larger population than the whole of Europe.

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http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/38114/story.htm