The Luanda City Profiling Report is part of the African Cities Profiling project, which aims to enhance understanding of individual cities across the continent with a view to improving government effectiveness and empowering citizens to hold their governments to account. With Africa’s rapid urbanisation, cities face significant challenges, including the growth of informal settlements and deficiencies in service delivery. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive understanding of city dynamics and the factors influencing them.
The report supports local authorities by providing comparative data that facilitates learning from peers and incentivises improvements in underperforming areas. It also assists national governments in regulating and supporting local authorities. For citizens, the report offers accessible information on the developmental context of their cities, fostering transparency and engagement.
By profiling multiple cities using standardised measures, the project enables stakeholders – local authorities, national governments, and citizens – to compare cities, identify best practices, and foster mutual learning. This comparative approach supports evidence-based decision-making and promotes improved governance, ultimately addressing urban challenges such as informal settlement growth and service delivery deficiencies.
This report for Luanda is one of 10 cities in the SADC region for which GGA is preparing city profiles, the others being: Bulawayo, Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Harare, Johannesburg, Lusaka, Lilongwe, Maputo and Ndola. These cities have been selected as a blend of primary and secondary cities in the region. Where relevant in this report, comparisons are drawn with these other cities.
The report utilises existing data to provide key insights into some of the challenges and opportunities faced by the city. Alongside other city reports, this profile is intended to assist cities in improving their development impact by providing access to subnational data across Sub-Saharan Africa.
