The populations of African cities are expected to grow by more than 900-million by 2050. Many of these people will live in secondary cities.

These cities are a sub‑set of cities within national systems of cities. Secondary cities play a critical intermediary role in the operation and development of local and regional economies of national systems of cities and regions. They are a vital part of the fabric of the production, distribution, and logistics systems of national economies.

Unfortunately, they have become a neglected area of policy and economic development in the post‑independence era in Africa.

Report by the AfDB