Paper short abstract:

Despite the presence of local and foreign government at all levels, agencies, non-governmental organizations in the global south and Africa with the mandate to manage and administrate urban areas, many cities in these countries continue to face numerous challenges.

Paper long abstract:

About (55%) of the world's population live in cities - with an estimated increase to 68% by 2050 (UNDESA, 2018). This increasing population density present daunting challenges, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where urgent and significant funding are required in transportation, housing, sanitation, energy, education, and health, as well as social and physical infrastructure (Azcona, Bhatt, Duerto, & Uteng, 2020; UN-Habitat, 2020b). Despite the presence of local and foreign government at all levels, agencies, non-governmental organizations in the global south and Africa with the mandate to manage and administrate urban areas, many cities in these countries continue to face numerous challenges such as poor planning and development, inadequate provision of basic services, traffic congestion, ineffective maintenance of public spaces, and bad climatic conditions. This study aims to explore the root causes of these challenges, with the ultimate goal of providing recommendations for improving urban local governance in these countries. The study relies on secondary source of data gathering. Of note, poor implementation of the urban policies and non-compliance with the climate change policies and indicators. The study recommends time bond solutions to the challenges of urbanization in the global south and African countries.