A World Bank report has shown that urbanization in Malawi is moving at a snail’s pace, as figures from the report show that the country is urbanising at a  rate of approximately 3.7 to 3.9% per year.

On the other hand, figures show that Malawi remains one of the least urbanised countries in Africa with approximately 16.7% of Malawi’s populations living in urban areas. This World Bank assessment report titled Managing Risks for a Safer Built Environment in Malawi: Building Regulatory Capacity Assessment, also notes that 76% of residents estimated to live in informal settlements which are mostly characterised by a lack of access to public services.

The assessment report has therefore outlined that in order for urbanisation to improve, Malawi has to implement on strengthening the building regulatory framework, as articulated in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy [MGDS] III and Vision 2020. The platform, known as 50 Million African Women Speak, was unveiled during the Global Gender Summit taking place in the Rwandan capital.