Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Tandi Mahambehlala, will lead a South African delegation to the Inaugural Africa Urban Forum, a continental platform that seeks to promote sustainable development in human settlements on the African continent.
The three-day forum will be convened under the theme: “Sustainable Urbanization for Africa’s Transformation: Agenda 2063”.
Established by the African Union Commission in 2022, the Africa Urban Forum is the only high-level continental platform that brings together African countries to collaborate and coordinate their efforts to address rapid urbanisation.
The department said in a statement that South Africa has not been spared on rapid urbanisation resulting in people emigrating into urban areas in search of economic opportunities. This emigration has put pressure on the government to provide affordable housing, the department said.
“The objectives of the forum include raising the profile of urbanisation 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 urbanisation among Africa’s heads of state and governments and identifying,” read statement.
The Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Dickson Masemola and some members of the National Executive Committee Members of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) will form part of the delegation.
The Mercury