URBAN TRANSITION OFFERS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES -TSOGWANE

Urban transition offerers great opportunities which UN-HABITAT Assembly should address. His Honour Mr Slumber Tsogwane the Vice President of the Republic of Botswana said this during the UN-HABITAT Assembly in Nairobi yesterday.

The Vice President said, in most countries, rapid urbanisation gives rise to housing deficit, growth of informal settlements and inadequate urban basic infrastructure such as energy, health facilities, transport, water and sanitation services. His Honour said the situation is worsened by lack of capacity for proper planning, governance and financial constraints.

In addition, he said the challenges experienced indicate policy and implementation failures and contradict set principles and commitments to the New Urban Agenda.

Furthermore, Mr Tsogwane said urbanisation should come with digital economic transformation and mind set change, saying it will otherwise be a missed opportunity. He said there must be a link between sustainable urbanisation and job creation, livelihoods opportunities and improved quality of life.

Honourable Tsogwane added that urbanisation without adequate production of jobs will jeopardise developmental efforts, peace and security.