Africa’s urbanisation: Implications for sustainable development

•Sustainable development remains a distant hope in urban Africa.•Rapid and unguided urbanisation are threatening sustainable development in Africa.•Managing rapid urbanisation is key to achieving sustainable development in urban Africa.

Sustainable development remains one of the most advocated development concepts worldwide, yet, there continues to be limited signs of progress towards its achievement in Africa. Recent studies identify rapid and unplanned urbanisation as a major threat. With Africa expected to become a home to nearly quarter (1.3 billion) of the world’s urban population in 2050, research into the ramifications of urbanisation on the functionality of the region’s urban environment is urgent and tenable. This paper fleshes out and teases apart the implications of rapid urbanisation on sustainable development of Africa.