THIS HOUSE BELIEVES AFRICAN CITIES NEED TO

INVEST MORE IN HOUSING TO REPLACE SLUMS

In recent years, we have witnessed that cities are becoming larger since the
world concentrates higher population in urban areas than in rural ones. This
phenomenon of urbanization, that is, the rapid and unplanned influx of population to the
urban areas leads to the appearance of slums. Slums can be defined as a household
lacking sufficient living space, save water and electricity. The African government has
suggested some solutions to the issue of slums and one of them is the investment in
housing to replace slums. This essay will firstly explore the advantages and
disadvantages of this measure and then it will propose other alternatives.

First of all, investing in housing to replace slums would benefit dwellers and
society as a whole. First of all, slums are the focal point for diseases due to inadequate
sanitation, overcrowding and lack of ventilation. Manifold diseases including cholera,
and malaria appear in the slums due to stagnant water and a lack of services. This
situation could be avoided by building houses; however, improving houses does not
only mean building but also equipped them with sufficient living space and facilities.

Nevertheless, which entity is the responsible for the investment, the

government? It would not be fair if the government invests in housing for slums since it
is claimed that dwellers do not work and do not contribute to society. Therefore, these
investments are always carried out by private corporations which at the end take
advantage of dwellers since they just build houses to increase the rent.

All things considered, the arguments mentioned above do not warrant an either-
or conclusion. Therefore, this is the wrong focus. Instead we should be practical and
think in terms of making the most benefits that housing can bring. As it has been stated
priorly, government incentive is not the solution. A further alternative could be
providing minimal wages and employment conditions for dwellers. They need to be
secure tenures.