FOCUSMega Cities Africa
Mega Cities Africa Conference & Expo
29-30 May 2013
CSIR International Convention Centre, Tshwane, South Africa
About Mega Cities
Mega Cities mean Mega Opportunities. And Africa is where it’s happening.
By 2050, seven out of 10 people will live in mega cities, with all the benefits and challenges of metro living. And the most significant urban planning challenges revolve around infrastructure and public works, especially access to clean drinking water, adequate sanitation, reliable electricity, public transportation and healthcare.
As there is no single set of solutions for every megacity – solutions must take local conditions into accounts — the focus of the conference is on local challenges, insights and opportunities.
INVITED CITIES
Maputo – Mozambique; Accra – Ghana;
Cape Town – South Africa; Dar es Salaam – Tanzania;
Joburg – South Africa; Lagos – Nigeria;
Luanda – Angola; Lusaka – Zambia;
Nairobi – Kenya; Tshwane, South Africa;
“Cities do not become prosperous on their own – they evolve from acts of creation; not a once-off moment in time but a continuous re-imagination of new possibilities for our urban future.”
Mega cities prioritise economic competitiveness and jobs!
New “enabling” infrastructure is a priority – future cities cannot be built on old models that do not work. Mega cities must be Smart cities. Governments must invest in their digital economy and work with public-private partnerships to ensure they are not left behind. Many jobs will be created as Smart cities are developed.
Cities – and Mega cities – are incubators for innovation. The resource efficiency in these urban centres and their satellites could become a competitive factor in attracting domestic and foreign investment.
Unless cities create wealth and attract investment they will not create the jobs needed for the growing urban population, nor will they attract the financial resources needed to address the huge challenges they face.
This conference will show what they need to do to secure and maintain this growth over the long term. It will show how cities create opportunities that attract investment for their development.
