Kenya’s capital Nairobi will have a population of over 10 million people by the year 2050, a new report shows.
The survey by the global think tank Institute for Economics and Peace shows that Nairobi will surpass the 10 million megacity threshold by mid-century.
The report estimates that Nairobi will host about 10.4 million people by 2050.
Currently,Nairobi has an estimated population of 5.2 million people.
According to the report, globally, 14 cities will rise to the 33 already existing megacities.
The report places a majority of the fastest-growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa.
The study places Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam, currently home to 7.5 million people, as the world’s fastest growing city.
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African mega cities
Dar es Salaam will have an estimated population of 16.4 million by 2050 (118% growth rate).
Nairobi is the second fastest growing city in the world according to the report.
Sudan’s Khartoum, with an 80 per cent projected growth rate is third.
Iraq’s Baghdad comes in fourth with a 71% growth rate while Angola’s Luanda is fifth with a 62% growth rate.
However, the report cites ecological threats, infrastructure and security as challenges that will make urban growth unsustainable.
“Generally, they are in low-income, low-peace countries, meaning they simply don’t have the financial capacity to be able to cope with the growth,” the report says.
Mega Challenges
Additionally, the report says environmental, social, political and economic issues, including higher concentrations of pollution, are also bound to increase.
“This is evident in many South Asian and African megacities, where those who can afford it, live in well-serviced neighbourhoods, while many live in overcrowded and under-resourced slums.
“These issues could directly impact societal and personal peacefulness as lack of job opportunities, hygiene, food and water, create a ground for dissatisfaction which can stoke conflict,” adds the report.
