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Paper short abstract:

Using the example of the tensions between informal waste picking and global urban and environmental policies, this paper will show how informality, which is a pervasive African urban reality, needs to be considered if policy prescriptions are to be successfully implemented on the continent.

Paper long abstract:

The role of Global Urban and Environmental Policies in shaping the urban environment cannot be undermined. There is already a growing body of literature that critiques these policies, and the challenges that global South countries face in meeting the set targets. For one, the targets are general, universalizing, and premised on the dominance of efficient formal systems. They do not account for the pervasiveness of informality in African contexts, whether in employment, service provision or housing. As a result, policymakers cannot successfully implement Global Policies because some of the ‘basic’ infrastructures and data that are needed might not be available to begin with. This paper will discuss African urban futures, using the example of the tensions between informal waste picking and Global Policies. Waste picking has long been in existence in African economies as a way for the poor to earn a living, and yet in recent years, due to the need to mitigate against climate change and attain sustainable development, various projects, supported by Global Policies, have threatened the livelihoods of waste pickers. Waste-to-energy projects, for example, have been proposed as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated from landfills and provide energy. However, in the context of high unemployment rates, waste-to-energy has been presented as a threat to the earnings of waste pickers. The paper will discuss the waste-to-energy example and others, to make the case that Global Policies need to be inline with African urban realities, if they are to be successfully implemented.