This profile offers an overview of the urban situation in each participating city through a series of interviews with key urban actors. This is followed by a city consultation where priorities are agreed.

City-level findings provide input for the national profiling that is combined with a national assessment of institutional, legislative, financial and overall enabling frameworks and response mechanisms. The profiles at all levels result in supporting the formation of city and national strategies and policy development.

Unsustainable migration trends in Zambia have led to high population growth in the urban areas without the accompanying improvement in infrastructure for service provision.

Towns and cities have continued to attract large numbers of people from rural areas. High levels of migration into the cities can be attributed to a diversified economy, relatively better access to social services and employment opportunities.

Hosting 30 percent of the urban population of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and the diplomatic centre of Africa, is one of the fastest growing cities on the continent. Its population is currently thought to be 4 million. Its geographic location, combined with its political and socio-economic status have made it a melting pot to hundreds of thousands of people coming from all corners of the country in search of employment opportunities and services.

High rate of unemployment (31%), concentration of slum dwellings, and poor housing, infrastructure and sanitary development, characterize Addis Ababa more than the few good features it posses. The challenge is not only to reverse current situation through balancing the economic growth with the population increase, but also to catch up with decades of neglect.

It is Ethiopia's second largest city with 384 000 inhabitants and with the rapid urban growth witnessed in the city, Dire Dawa's urban population is expected to grow by nearly 50 percent by the year 2015. One third of the urban population has no access to water.

Three quarters of marginalised groups reported having an acute lack of ability to satisfy food and clothing needs. There were 5643 street children as of 1997, a number most likely to have quadrupled since. There are at least 15 000 dwellers living in high-risk flooding areas. There are an additional 160 000 living in slums, or sub-standard housing.

Moçambique situa-se na costa oriental de África, é um país com uma população aproximada de 20 milhões de habitantes. Saído de uma Guerra civil devastadora em 1992, o país tem crescido a uma taxa anual de quase10%.

A sua recuperação pós-guerra tem sido referenciada como um processo exemplar. Moçambique à imagem de outros países em vias de desenvolvimento enfrenta uma nova problemática, relacionada com os novos migrantes para os centros urbanos, a população urbana em Moçambique é constituída por cerca de 7 milhões de habitantes.

A maioria da população urbana de Moçambique vive em áreas de ocupação informal onde o acesso a serviços básicos é complexo. Moçambique é um parceiro da UN-Habitat com o objectivo conjunto de melhorarem as condições de vida das populações mais pobres.

The National Urban Profile focuses on the findings of a desk-study, interviews with key actors and a town consultation with key urban actors and institutions. Consultation participants agreed to address the salient urban issues including poverty, insecurity, corruption, pollution and crime all problems that negatively affect investments and economic development.

A consensus was reached on priority interventions in the form of programme and project proposals to be implemented.

Kisumu is Kenya's third largest city and is located in the Western Highlands on Lake Victoria. Kisumu's status as a stronghold of the opposition has negatively impacted its development, as the area was largely neglected until the emergence of multi party democracy in Kenya.

Despite its rich resource base, Kisumu is one of the poorest cities in Kenya and food insecurity, growing urban poverty and the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS are key concerns.

Mavoko is situated in Machakos District some 25 km south east of Nairobi. It has an estimated population of 65,000 and is popularly known as Athi River. Mavoko appears to offer a good opportunity for the expansion of the Nairobi Metropolitan Region and therefore, the area is of strategic importance.

Mavoko’s rapid growth, however, has led to an explosive growth of slums around strategic locations close to industries and other places of employment.

Nairobi has the highest growth rates per annum compared to the other growth rates in Africa. 75% of the urban population growth is absorbed by informal settlements. The number of urban population living in slums will double in the next 15years.

Informal settlements cover only 5% of the total residential land area of the city, but they are inhabited by at least half of the city’s population.

The Kenya Urban Sector Study is a rapid appraisal of the urban sector needs in Kenya. It looks at the necessities of towns from Governance, Slums, Gender and Environment point of view and it proposes projects.