Malawi: UN Agency Calls for Investment in Rural Areas to Stem Rapid Urbanisation

According to a senior official at the UN Centre of Human Settlement, Malawi is now the fastest urbanising country in the world, with a projected 44% of the population due to be living in urban areas by 2015. This influx is attributed directly to the 'increasingly harsh condition many families are experiencing in the outlying areas of the country.' The small size of farms and the lack of access to improved agricultural technology means that it is no longer profitable for families to continue with agricultural work, officials noted, and they called for 'drastic measures to be implemented to improve rural livelihoods'.