In the framework of the United Nations Development Account (DA) Project on “Strengthening Member States capacities in designing and implementing strategies for inclusive and sustainable cities in Africa”, the Economic Commission for Africa organized a Regional Validation Meeting on “A Guidebook for Policymakers: An Urban Lens in National Development Planning,”, from 13 to 15 December, 2017, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Africa as a continent is urbanizing at a rapid pace which has profound social and economic implications for the continent. Urbanization can be a powerful force for inclusive growth due to its potential to facilitate industrialization and structural transformation. However, the transformative potential of urbanization is contingent upon the degree to which it is strategically aligned in national development planning frameworks. It is in this background that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has prepared a guidebook titled, “A Guidebook for Policymakers: An Urban Lens in National Development Planning” to strengthen the integration of urbanization in the national development plans of member states. The Regional Validation Meeting enabled further enrichment of this guidebook due to feedback from experts and also laid the groundwork for its operationalization through demonstration of training prescribed in it.