Let me start by stepping back for a moment. I’d like to remind all of us why urbanization, and in particular, integrated urban-rural development, matters.
Getting urbanization and rural development right is essentially about sharing prosperity. It is about ensuring that the benefits of development and growth reach all citizens whether they move to the mega cities, smaller towns, or live in a rural setting.
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Urbanization is generally associated with higher income and productivity. In fact, it can be an important driver of productivity increases and growth.
So what are the challenges we are facing?
In the absence of sound public policy, the positive effects of urbanization may be easily outweighed by costs pollution, traffic congestion, and higher costs of living.
To be able to address the urban development challenges in cities like Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, etc. we need to look at broader urban development in Anambra state
Because, as a state, we have tended to concentrate our urban development in a few localities, people move from the rural areas to these areas and create the challenges.
Urban development should not preclude the development of rural areas. Rural development and urban development go together, and until we get those dynamics right, making sure we develop our urban areas at the same time as we develop our rural areas, we won’t be able to achieve much.
To be able to attain sustainable development in Anambra state, we need to put in place proper measures that will ensure that we have equitable distribution of resources, and proper planning and development across the whole state.
Why is this important now?
We live in a very exciting time. For a long time, issues of Rural-Urban development have been neglected. But in recent years, it seems to have caught the attention of development donors. There is a lot that we can do in that respect. But what we have to bear in mind as a state is that the process of Rural-Urban development is irreversible and inevitable. We need to be proactive and to accept the challenges by putting in place innovative measures for sustainable development going toward the future.
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Emmanuel Chukwuebuka
Head of Media and Strategic Communication to Mr Godwin Ezeemo.
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