Keep it clean: can blockchain change the nature of land registry in developing countries?

The global economy is constantly exposed to disruptive technologies. Take the example of telecommunications: it was not long ago that everything revolved around landlines. Households would go to huge lengths to ensure they were well-serviced with fixed-line infrastructure, while those left out endured long travel times for everyday activities like managing a business or connecting with family and friends. Those days now seem like a bygone era. The mobile phone changed everything

Making room for Africa’s urban billion

By 2050, more than a billion people will be living in African cities and towns. As more and more of the continent’s population – 60% of whom live in the countryside – move to urban areas, pressures on land can only intensify. How should we make room for this massive urban expansion? How will city structures have to change to accommodate Africa’s urban billion? And could well-directed policy help spring African cities out of the low-development trap? These questions were at the core of discussions at the World Bank’s 5th Urbanisation and Poverty Reduction research conference on 6 September 2018

The costs of urban giants in sub-Saharan Africa

Several African cities have become veritable urban giants. Lagos and Cairo are each home to more than 20 million people, while others like Kinshasa, Luanda, and Dar es Salaam continue to grow at breakneck speed. The way these major cities grow will have tremendous impacts on future development in Africa

Enhancing property tax compliance in Mandalay

This brief discusses several policy options that could improve tax compliance and tax administration in Mandalay – helping the city to escape its low-tax and underfunded services trap. Increasing the perceived benefits of paying tax – by communicating the link between tax and infrastructure – would likely encourage compliance, so long as the government can facilitate ease of payment through effective approaches to tax collection. To be effective at using such policies, cities first need strong foundations for tax administration. In particular, Mandalay could look to update its systems for property identification and assessment. The brief suggests several different approaches to do this and their associated trade-offs

Data for decision-making: how spatial data is shaping the African urbanisation story

Ahead of the 17th Urban Age Conference and the first to be held in Africa, Sebastian Kriticos and Astrid Haas discuss the need for better data to tackle some of Africa’s biggest urbanisation challenges

Considerations for land value capture reform in the Greater Amman Municipality

This report discusses several policy options for improving the calculation and collection of specific land value capture instruments. Namely: Land Value Increment Taxes; Betterment Levies; Development Impact Fees and Exactions. The report focuses on the city of Amman, however, several of the policy challenges and solutions that emerge are common to many developing cities. Specifically, the researchers detail potential avenues for reform to improve assessment and calculation, issuance, and collection of land value capture instruments. Improving clarity around different value capture tools used by cities – in terms of who pays, when they pay, and for what reason – is a first step for improved performance. Clarity must then be supported by greater transparency over how charges are calculated as well as clear communication to demonstrate how tax money is effectively used. The researchers detail several incremental steps that could improve land value capture, ultimately helping city governments to raise finances and support urban sustainable growth through targeted public investments

The prospects for manufacturing-led growth in Africa’s cities

Many African countries are urbanising rapidly despite limited growth in manufacturing. Although other sectors could spur job creation and development, much like manufacturing, they need active public policy to support urban connectivity and business scale. Although the growth of cities in Africa has been closely linked to rising incomes across the continent, many countries have rapidly urbanised without the same gains in economic growth and poverty reduction that have been seen elsewhere. One potential reason is that urbanisation in Africa has not promoted a sustained period of structural transformation: shifting from growth dominated by agriculture and small-scale local services towards growth led by manufacturing and knowledge-intensive industries. This has led some observers to question Africa’s long-term prospects for development. This growth brief explores the prospects for manufacturing-led growth in Africa’s citie

The BRT and the danfo: a case study of Lagos’ transport reforms from 1999-2019

Over the last 20 years, Lagos has had to make large-scale investments in transport infrastructure to keep up with its growing population. Most notably, in 2008, Lagos opened the first ever Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on the African continent. Today, the system boasts two different lines which cover over 35.5 km of track and transport over 350,000 commuters on a daily basis. Through the BRT and wider reforms, Lagos has been able to achieve reductions in travel times of up to one-third since 2008, relieving an estimated USD$240M in economic loss each year. This case study provides a detailed account of the Lagos experience, highlighting key factors behind its successful reforms as well as important lessons for other cities looking to improve their public transport systems

Can Africa learn from the Chinese urbanisation story?

This paper provides a framework to understand the similarities and differences between Africa’s current urbanisation pathway and the path China has taken over the last 30 years. A major difference is that Africa’s urbanisation to date has not been associated with anywhere near the same gains in productivity and poverty reduction that have been seen in China. Instead, the growth of Africa’s cities has more often been associated with development challenges such as the rise of slums, unemployment, and political instability. However, with well-implemented and far-sighted public policy, this trend could be reversed and urbanisation could unlock a process of sustained and inclusive development in Africa