Regional Stakeholder Workshop: Urbanization, Migration, and Economic Development in North Rift Kenya

Regional Stakeholder Workshop: Urbanization, Migration, and Economic Development in North Rift Kenya
As part of the Project “Sustainable Economic Development along the Turkana West Development Corridor Through Enhanced Connectivity”

In Turkana County, urbanization is driven by increasing influxes of refugees (settled in Turkana West) and a gradual shift from pastoral to alternative urban-based livelihoods among a section of the community. In some areas, the presence of the refugee population adds strain on Turkana West’s socio-economic challenges, such as poverty and marginalisation, and infrastructural challenges in access to health care, education, safe drinking water, transportation, etc. On the other hand, the presence of the refugee population in Turkana West has also contributed to economic development.

By providing technical support and capacity building, the UN-Habitat-Cities Alliance project “Sustainable Economic Development along the Turkana West Development Corridor Through Enhanced Connectivity”, capitalises on emerging infrastructure connectivity opportunities and ongoing comprehensive development programmes such as completion of strategic regional infrastructure projects, notably the Lamu Port-South Sudan Ethiopia (LAPPSET) Development Corridor and the A1 Road from Lodwar to Nadapal.

As part of the programme, a Virtual Regional Stakeholder Workshop was organized to address Turkana West and its refugee and host communities from a broader dimension (and not in isolation), focusing on economic connectivity, integration, migration, and urbanization in the wider region. The workshop aimed to facilitate critical discussions and networking among stakeholders and concludes with a set of recommendations.