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If, as has been projected, Africa could be home to 40% of humanity by the end of the century, will its already highly pressurised cities be able to provide decent living conditions for all their inhabitants? Mike Wooldridge and Ghanaian architect Ruth-Anne Richardson report on the opportunities and challenges this rapid urbanisation brings in West Africa.

The stretch of nearly 1,000 km between Abidjan and Lagos, is by 2100 projected to be the largest zone of continuous, dense habitation on earth - and home to about half a billion people. In Ghana alone, the population which was around six million at the time of independence could – according to some estimates – exceed 50 million by 2050. There has been unprecedented migration into Accra and other cities from rural areas, straining the city’s ability to provide basic housing and services to people, and exacerbating existing inequalities.

Presenter: Mike Wooldridge
Producer: Ruth Evans
A Ruth Evans Productions series for Â鶹Éç World Service

(Photo: A street hawker sells Ghana flags in Accra. Credit: Getty Images)