Africa’s Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Jobs - TDLC Thematic Event at TICAD9

What is the key to harnessing Africa's urbanization as a catalyst for job creation and economic growth? On August 20, 2025, during the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, the World Bank Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) convened a thematic session titled Africa’s Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Jobs. TICAD is an international conference focused on African development, led by the Government of Japan since 1993, and is co-organized with the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the World Bank.

The TDLC Thematic event took place against the backdrop of the World Bank Group’s growing focus on jobs as a central pillar of development, and the recognition that urban development must be harnessed as a driver of employment creation and inclusive economic growth. Against the backdrop of rapid urbanization in Africa, the event discussed themes and preliminary insights from the World Bank’s forthcoming flagship report on Africa’s Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Job Creation, exploring how urbanization—when well planned and well governed—can become a powerful catalyst for jobs and prosperity.

Global Anticipations and Japan’s role

The session began with opening remarks from Kentaro Ogata, Director General of the International Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan, who underscored Japan’s commitment to supporting African countries in leveraging urban development for inclusive growth.

Akihiko Nishio, Vice President for Development Finance (DFi), World Bank, framed the discussion by emphasizing the importance of aligning urban planning, infrastructure investment, and financial systems with Africa’s employment and growth priorities.

Kentaro Ogata, Director General of the International Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan (left) and Akihiko Nishio, Vice President for Development Finance (DFi), World Bank (right)

Presentation: Jobs and Urbanization

Mark Roberts, Lead Urban Economist and Global co-Lead for Urban Analytics at the World Bank delivered the keynote address titled “Africa's Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Jobs,” presenting emerging findings from the World Bank's upcoming flagship report. Mark highlighted that Africa is undergoing unprecedented urbanization—its urban population will nearly double to 1.5 billion by 2050—yet this rapid shift has not been fully leveraged to promote growth. He underscored the urgency of creating 667 million new jobs over the next 25 years and outlined three golden opportunities—young and evolving demographics, structural transformation, and agglomeration benefits—alongside three key challenges of fragmented density, unprepared expansion, and lagging small towns, concluding with policy priorities to turn Africa’s cities into engines of jobs and productivity.

Mark Roberts, Lead Urban Economist and Global co-Lead for Urban Analytics at the World Bank

Insights from Global and Local Leaders

The high-level panel discussion, moderated by Jon Kher Kaw, Senior Urban Development Specialist, World Bank, brought together leaders and experts from Japan, Africa, and the World Bank to discuss the interlinkages between urbanization and inclusive growth.

Mayor Kizo Hisamoto of Kobe City shared Kobe’s post-earthquake transformation, highlighting how disaster recovery became an opportunity to “build back better,” redesign the waterfront, and invest in infrastructure that supports livability and new economic opportunities. Kobe’s experience demonstrates how Japanese cities’ lessons can inform African urban development.

Governor Khaled Mahmoud Abdelhalim of Qena, Egypt showcased Qena’s approach to empowering local governments to meet basic needs and foster local economic development, underlining that “economic growth is a spatial issue.”

Takuro Kasao, Deputy Director General, MLIT, Government of Japan, presented Japan’s national perspective, stressing the importance of integrated land-use planning, mobility, and infrastructure investment to enable cities to thrive.

(from the top left) Mayor Kizo Hisamoto of Kobe City, Governor Khaled Mahmoud Abdelhalim of Qena, Egypt, Takuro Kasao, Deputy Director General, MLIT, Government of Japan, Jon Kher Kaw, Senior Urban Development Specialist, World Bank

Key Takeaways

Discussions highlighted several priorities for Africa’s urban future:

• Urbanization, when backed by good governance and planning, can drive job creation and inclusive growth.
• Secondary cities—not only megacities—must be prioritized for early, low-cost interventions to manage rapid population growth.
• Sustainable local revenues and financing tools (such as property tax and land value capture) are vital for effective urban planning.
• Long-term governance and land market reforms are needed to unlock cities’ potential and attract private investment.
• Investment in basic services, mobility, and spatial connectivity is essential to improving living standards and creating economic opportunities.

Bridging Japan and Africa: TDLC's Role

TDLC continues to support and contribute to the World Bank flagship report, 'Africa’s Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Job Creation.' By bringing Japanese urban development experience into global dialogue, TDLC plays a bridging role between Japan and African partners. The participation of Kobe’s Mayor underscored the value of Japan’s lessons in resilience, connectivity, and livability as Africa navigates rapid urbanization. TDLC's active participation in the global dialogue on urban development and employment underscores its commitment to sharing Japan's valuable insights and expertise, fostering a collaborative approach to addressing the cities and jobs agenda.

Photos from the session are available here.