Africa is experiencing the highest urban growth rate in the world. Sub-Saharan African cities alone need to gear up to receive over 300 million more people over the next twenty years. To give an idea of the magnitude of what this represents in reality, it is equivalent to creating groups of urban buildings large enough to house the entire present population of the USA. However, neither the production capacities for local infrastructure and serviced land, nor the resources, nor appropriate financing mechanisms are currently in place to face a challenge on such a scale.

Read more

Hello to all,

I wanted to share with you a project that is particularly dear to me in this year 2010 that is marked by the 50th anniversary celebrations of African independence (symbolically, as this is an average). It is an essay entitled “Africa’s billions”, which I have written with my colleague Olivier Ray and that is published today in French by Odile Jacob (the English version is due to be published early next year).

Read more

Demographic growth, industrialisation and the increase of demand resulting from higher living standards is exerting growing pressure on the world's natural resources. The effects of climate change are also showing their first impacts on some of the regions of the world that are least equipped to manage them. How can these pressures be handled on the long run? What role can public policies play to tackle this rising challenge?

Read more

Some time ago I met with leaders of several NGOs from a 'Debt and Development Platform'. The quality of our exchanges gave me the idea to continue our discussions on debt here with you.

Read more