Modern Africa has long been a continent of large metropolises: urbanization processes are taking place here at an astonishing pace, which does not keep pace with residential, transport and social infrastructure. Africans do not hide these problems and are ready to learn how to solve them from others, including Russian cities. And in return, they are hoping that Russian businessmen and tourists will complement their countries’ friendly political relations with Russia with a living connection between people, municipalities and regions. This was discussed at the business session “International Interregional Cooperation. Economy of opportunities”, which was organized by the Department of Foreign and International Economic Relations of the city of Moscow within the framework of the II Economic and Humanitarian Forum “Russia-Africa” in St. Petersburg.
Moscow, the undisputed leader among Russian megacities in terms of infrastructure development, digitalization and human capital, did not monopolize its discussion platform and invited the heads of Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar, Veliky Novgorod and Severodvinsk to a dialogue with African guests. They, like the capital, have something to share in achieving the sustainable development goals and solving urban problems. In the age of globalization, these problems are in many ways similar for all the world’s megacities.
Thus, Tafadzwe Muguti, Commissioner for Development of Harare Province in the Presidential Administration of Zimbabwe, said that in his province, where industry is developing rapidly and where people from rural areas “follow the money”, there are acute pendulum daily migration problems, which are well known to both residents of the Moscow region and the Leningrad region. In addition, many migrant workers from other regions of Zimbabwe come to work in Harare’s cities, illegally settling places and buildings that are not intended for housing. Similar difficulties with migrants are familiar in Russian cities.
But African countries also have their own historical difficulties. All major cities in Africa were built according to the master plans of the colonial era, and this today significantly hinders their development, new urban strategies are needed. The dramatic increase in the urban population suffers from inadequate access to water and public transport. Underdeveloped or completely absent underground utilities.
Sergey Cheremin, Minister of the Government of Moscow, Head of the Department of Foreign and International Economic Relations of Moscow, saw this as an opportunity to share the experience of the Russian capital.
“Moscow has today become one of the most beautiful, comfortable and safe cities in the world. You talked about the old standards adopted in colonial times: we were able to exchange experiences in this area, including the experience of the digitalization of the urban economy,” said Sergey Cheremin. He talked about such a unique product as a Moscow digital twin, with the help of which you can see the history of the construction of each house, any underground communication. “This allows us to quickly make serious urban planning decisions thanks to big data analysis collected by all city services, modernize transport infrastructure and make the urban environment more comfortable. We are ready to tell our colleagues about all these technologies,” said Cheremin.
The ongoing process of urban expansion around the world not only creates problems, but also opens up new opportunities, said Thomas Mxolisi Kaunda, mayor of the eThekwini urban district of Durban, one of South Africa’s largest cities. “Urbanization is the driving force of global development,” he said. The mayor said Durban has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming Africa’s first “smart city”. To achieve this, the authorities of the metropolis introduce mechanisms for electronic dialogue with residents, use computer models to combat natural disasters, develop safe transport infrastructure, including walking and cycling, develop safe and renewable energy sources, and encourage ecotourism.
“We are ready to develop cooperation between cities, between regions. Such interaction complements the interstate partnership and helps solve existing problems together. A sustainable network ofand cities will ensure the harmonious and equitable development of the whole world,” said the guest from South Africa. Supporting this thesis, Sergey Cheremin invited his colleague from South Africa and other African guests to the upcoming Moscow Urban Forum.
