Week 2: Status of integration of urbanization in national development planning

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Week 2: Status of integration of urbanization in national development planning

Belay_File

In this section Participants will consider the extent to which the National Development Plan or Strategy in their respective countries integrate urbanization and how. They will also provide recommendations on how to better integrate urbanization in national development planning. The key question here is Is urbanization considered in national development planning? If yes, to what degree and how?
In Order to guide our discussion, the following questions are set. Participants are required to respond to each of these questions:
1. Does your country have a national development plan with a long term vision? If yes, is urbanization or cities considered in this vision? Do you have any goals set with this respect (for example, a goal could be to limit or speed up urbanization process)
2. Is urbanization (urban development) identified as one of the key strategic sectors in your national development plan? Which areas are given priority?
3. In your national development plan, do you think that urbanization is adequately addressed? What would you suggest to better harness urbanization to achieve your national development goals?

The following supportive documents are attached for this section: Please click on the download button to open the files

urbanization-and-national-development-planning-in-africa-policy-briefdf.pdf

467kB

urbanisation-et-planification-nationale-en-afrique-policy-briefxlsx.pdf

538kB

Ndyomugabi

Uganda has a National Development Plan (NDP). The country is implementing the second NDP in a series of six NDPs under the Vision 2040. Urbanization was not one of the priorities, but the Plan takes cognizant of it as importance as a critical issue for sustainable Development. The Priority areas under the NDPII, include infrastructure (roads, energy, ICT), Agriculture, Tourism and Oil and Gas. Urbanization is not adequately addressed in the plan, though there are number of targeted interventions that impact greatly on urbanization. The best way to harness urbanization in the country is to ensure that it is taken as priority in the third National Development Plan (NDPIII).

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Ndyomugabi
Thanks for your reflections Ndyomugabi. I would be happy if you could tell us the percentage contribution of cities to the Ugandan GDP for example. What is the pace of growth of urbanization in Uganda? Are not cities places where most industrial and service activies taking place? If yes, why has NDP ignored the issue of cities in Uganda? Can you please elaborate further on this?
Thanks
Belay

gdesta

In Ethiopia, at first government policies, programs and plans explicitly accorded priority to rural areas to some level of deterrence of urban development. The government gradually increased attention to industrial development and urbanization. This was reflected, for example, in the introduction of a National Urban Development Policy (2005) and the preparation of the National Urban Development Strategy.

The subsequent Growth and Transformation Plan of 2010/11–2014/15 and the Resilient and Green Growth and Governance package have both aligned with the national development vision of strong urban industrial sectors embedded in well-functioning cities, making “the urban agenda centre stage, particularly the role of cities in promoting industrialization, capital accumulation and stronger integration to global markets.
Ethiopia’s current urban strategy identifies seven geographically dispersed cities as future growth centres for balanced growth. It aims for these cities to draw on the diverse economic potential of their regions and sustain the country’s rapid economic growth aims for these cities to draw on the diverse economic potential of their regions and sustain the country’s rapid economic growth. The Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which is the medium-term planning tool of the Government of Ethiopia (GoE), recognizes the importance of urbanization. The government has already taken steps to make evidence-based, informed decisions for well-managed urban growth. The government prepares two types of spatial plans for urban areas: a structural plan and local development plans (LDPs). Decentralization has increased the role of local governments and Urban Local Governments (ULGs).

The recently published GTP II establishes a goal of reaching middle income status by 2025 and envisions industrial development for growth and job creation, through effective urban development. It calls for the transformation of productive sectors, integrated infrastructure development, capacity building of the construction sector, proactive management of rapid urbanization, and the promotion of good governance.

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gdesta
Thanks Gdesta for your good reflections based on the Ethiopia case.
Also important to discuss is on this issue of decentralization and local economic development. What is the fiscal power of cities to raise and utilize funds that their economy generate? How strong is Municipal revenue in financing urban needs (utilities and infrastructure)? Considering the percentage contribution of cities in Ethiopia (which is close to 50%of the GDP) do you think that there is a fair treatment (compare for example with investment on the rural sector) in terms of investment, or channeling funds in Ethiopia?
best
Belay

mtimoulali

Sorry for a late contribution.I Just received recently an email about this e-discussion.

There no National Development Plan in Morocco. Instead we have various sectoral strategies: SDG, Renewal Energies, Territorial Planning, Agriculture, Industry, Tourism, Education, ICT4D....
A dialog is underway to review the national planning in a more holistic and integrated approach. This process include the urbanization Planning. I will share some documents about this.