GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURES AND URBANIZATION ISSUES

Booming cities from Lagos, Nigeria; Santiago in Chile down to Beihai, China have a relentless demand for new office buildings, improved facilities, modern technology, and smart infrastructures. There exists economic and infrastructure transition in most countries of Africa and Latin America. According to a UN report, ‘The State of African Cities, African countries and cities are burdened by high infrastructure deficits and shortages in access to technologies and services. Poor transport infrastructures are responsible for 40 percent of the logistics costs in coastal – and 60 percent in landlocked countries.

Developing economies are therefore witnessing tremendous growth, though largely tamed by ineffectiveness and lack of transparency, accountability, and rule of law in the politics and governance of most of these nations. Africa for instance still suffers from systems (institutions) that are weaker than the strong men that built them. As claimed by two illustrious professors that coauthored the book, ‘Why Nations Fail’, The book which applies insights from institutional economics, development economics, and economic history to understand why nations develop differently, with some succeeding in the accumulation of power and prosperity and others failing, via a wide range of historical case studies. Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson; the two scholars argued, that sustainable economic development can only be achieved through inclusive institutions, not by extractive institutions built to serve a selected few in the society. That said!

Despite the economic slowdown in Nigeria and South Africa, the construction industry growth to be witnessed in the years ahead would be huge compared to the developed countries. According to PWC’s Global Construction 2025 report, the construction market in Western Europe is expected to be almost 5 percent smaller by 2025 than it was in 2007.

Africa presents immense problems, most of these problems are opportunities in disguise. The lack of basic amenities would provide jobs for young and vibrant professionals through the investment of the government in capital projects. Governments of Africa need to sit tight and work out long-term programs and policies in addressing the problems of this continent. Rural-urban migration, youth exclusion from governance, economic disparity, poorly trained African population, and youth restlessness demand timely solutions if Africa is ready to partake in tomorrow’s global economy.

Population growth and urbanization pose great threats to the government in providing infrastructure that meets modern society. Even if all of us choose to bury our heads in the sand, the rise in population and calls for an improved standard of living from the growing population will catch up with us.