Africa: Is Africa really urbanising rapidly?

It is well known that African urban populations are growing. Almost every article or policy document on the topic is foregrounded with this point. 'However, whether most African countries will fairly soon be mainly urban is another issue. There is now plenty of data to suggest that in many cases, they will not.' This is important, argues this article, because of what it reveals about how African cities have coped with the globalised economy and the livelihoods of residents in the urban setting.