After Rabat, the cycle of debates organized by Le Monde and Veolia stopped in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on 18 November to discuss the role and challenges of Africa’s so-called “intermediary” cities.
Although the UN has only recognized around 15 of these hubs, 210 million people in Africa live in one of 1,400 secondary cities, which are essential both in terms of structuring urban networks and building local and regional connections.
Shaping Africa with a human perspective
Much smaller than megacities, yet far larger than villages, these hubs are contributing to “Shaping Africa with a human perspective”, the theme of the Abidjan conference.
With contributions from Félix Anoblé, Minister and Mayor of San-Pédro, and Nicolas Djibo, Mayor of Bouaké, as well as architect Issa Diabaté, Macoura Dao, President of the Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa, François Yattan, Head of Programmes at the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), and Alexandre Lemille, co-founder of African Network of Circular Economy, this cycle of debates led by Le Monde journalists highlighted a type of urban area that remains poorly understood, but will be crucial to the future of Africa.
Louis Dreyfus, Chairman of the Management Board of the Le Monde group, Dinah Louda, President of the Veolia Institute, and Philippe Bourdeaux, Veolia Executive Vice President Africa and Middle East all attended “The African City of Tomorrow”, which proved an immense success.
Stay tuned for the next debate in December.
