The Mozambican Planning and Development Ministry says that more than 36 per cent of the about 19 million inhabitants of the country are currently living in urban areas.
Speaking during a ceremony marking the Mozambican launch of this year's report on "The State of the World Population", from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), the head of the Ministry's Statistics and Population Department, Virgulino Nhate, said that the figures call for a reflection on the part of the government about urban expansion.
He added that the government has been striving to extend the basic nework of social and economic infrastructures across the country, particularly in the rural areas, in order to respond to population growth and relieve the pressure on the urban centres.
The UNFPA representative in Mozambique, Petra Lantz, stressed that, just like anywhere else in the developing world, Mozambican towns have a large number of inhabitants living in informal settlements. These are characterised by a lack of decent infrastructures and basic services, improper environmental conditions, and low quality housing.
"Taking into account these challenges, the UNFPA in Mozambique is investing in the empowerment of women, in reproductive health, and in the prevention of HIV among young people and adolescents", she said.
Commenting on the general situation of the population across the globe, Lantz said that about one billion people live in poor neighbourhoods, almost all of them in developing countries. That meant the battle to attain the Millennium Development Goals and to reduce absolute poverty must be fought in these shanty towns.
"In order to win, legislators should be proactive and start working with the residents of those neighbourhoods for realistic planning that takes into account their needs and rights", said Lantz.
The vast urban expansion in developing countries, she warned, has global implications that require a global response, because "urbanization is unavoidable".
The UNFPA report predicts that in 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of the world's population will be living in towns and cities, and by 2030, the urban population will be about five billion.
"Nearly all this growth will take place in cities in developing countries. Most of these cities are already facing poverty, associated with the growth of poor neighbourhoods, lack of sanitation, crime, and HIV/AIDS", reads the report.
The document adds that in Africa and Asia it is predicted that the urban population will double in a single generation. The African urban population will reach 740 million by 2030, and in Asia it will grow from 1.4 to 2.6 billion.
Lantz stressed that what is happening in the expanding cities "will shape our future", and it is time for urgent international efforts to face up to urban growth.
The report notes that the largest growth is taking place in towns where currently less than 500,000 people live, and, where problems seem easier to solve.
"But things are not necessarily like that", said Lanz.
"These towns are often unable to respond to their needs because of a shortage of human, financial and technical resources".
She noted that "the impact of this growth has yet to attract enough public attention", and very little is being done to maximise the potential advantages of this transformation or to reduce the negative consequences.
The report admits that towns concentrate poverty, but they also represent the best hope for people to eliminate poverty. It urges policy-makers to stop discouraging migration from the rural areas to towns and to start providing basic services.
SOURCE: AIM
