Africa is urbanizing at an incredible pace and it is expected that in 2050, 60% of the estimated 2,5 inhabitants of the continent will be living within cities. With these rising urban populations, the profiles of the countries will change dramatically, and will create problems for policy makers aiming to harness urbanization for sustainable and inclusive growth. The lack of built-up areas results in the growth of crowded informal settlements with little infrastructure that are disconnected from the main centres of activity, creating problems of urban mobility, access to basic services, and employment. An additional element to consider is also the methods require to plan and finance these future infrastructure projects.

The role of the UCLG-Africa is to assist in the strengthening of Local Governments and their Associations and Networks as means to improve Local Governance and service delivery through appropriate and sustainable local policies well articulated to national and regional policies and through capacitating Local Government Institutions to carry out their mandates.

Moreover, as a globally engaged Pan-African Organization, UCLG-Africa commits also itself to implement and support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular the SDG 11 : « Make cities and Human Settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable », as well as the New Urban Agenda (NUA), the Climate Change Agenda, and Sendai Agenda.