The World Bank’s latest analysis highlights that Sub‑Saharan Africa’s fast‑growing cities face a trio of challenges – weak transport networks, uncoordinated peripheral growth and under‑invested smaller towns – that could prevent them from delivering expected economic gains.

Urban populations in the region are projected to reach 1.7 billion by 2050, adding roughly 748 million people to towns and cities over the next 25 years, intensifying pressure on planners and service providers.

Despite this surge, average GDP per capita has stayed near $4,400, underscoring the need for job‑creating investments; the report estimates 15 million new jobs are required each year to keep pace with the expanding workforce.

In major cities, inadequate mass public transport and restrictive land‑use rules limit the formation of accessible, employment‑rich clusters, prompting the Bank to call for integrated infrastructure and reforms that promote affordable, higher‑density housing near job centres.

For rapidly expanding urban peripheries, the report points to unplanned settlement patterns that raise infrastructure costs and reduce productivity, recommending the pre‑emptive construction of arterial road networks and land‑reform measures that enable coordinated subdivision and private‑sector participation.

Smaller towns, often overlooked, are identified as potential growth poles, especially those situated on existing or emerging transport corridors; the Bank advises targeted infrastructure spending and reclassification from rural to urban status to unlock appropriate financing and governance tools.

Beyond physical infrastructure, the analysis calls for stronger urban governance, including broader property‑tax bases, land‑based financing, digitised revenue collection and more predictable intergovernmental transfers to sustain service delivery.

The World Bank warns that without decisive policy action by national and local authorities, the region risks missing out on the economic benefits of urbanisation, including job creation for its youthful population.