Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Tandi Mahambehlala, on Wednesday led a South African delegation to the inaugural Africa Urban Forum at the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum in Ethiopia.
The forum is a continental platform that seeks to promote sustainable development in human settlements on the continent. The three-day forum is being convened under the theme, “Sustainable Urbanization for Africa’s Transformation: Agenda 2063.”
Established by the African Union Commission in 2022, it is the only high-level continental platform that brings together African countries to collaborate and coordinate their efforts to address rapid urbanisation.
South Africa has not been spared rapid urbanisation resulting in people emigrating into urban areas in search of economic opportunities. This has put pressure on the government to provide affordable housing.
The objectives of the Ethiopia forum include raising the profile of urbanization as an imperative for sustainable and resilient development in Africa. It also aims to support inclusive and participatory human settlement development in Africa’s structural transformation and attainment of Agenda 2063, and facilitating dialogues and buy-in for sustainable urbanization among Africa’s heads of state and governments.
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