MasterCard’s latest African cities index examined African cities’ economic outlook according to their potential for inclusive urbanization. The 74 analyzed cities were ranked by twenty five economic and social indicators and are organized into three categories by population size: large (more than one million), medium (between 500,000 and one million) and small (under 500,000). Once ranked, the cities fall into one of four bands describing their inclusive growth potential – high, medium-high, medium-low or low.
Two cities in Mozambique emerged as the continent’s centers for highest growth potential, and African cities with medium to high growth potential are all located in Eastern and Western Africa. And one of the greatest barriers to African cities’ economic expansion is the low level of internal trade within the continent. The World Bank estimates that Africa’s regional trade relative to its total trade is 12 percent against Europe’s 72 percent and South East Asia’s 50 percent, for example… Read More
Dan Peltier, Skift 
