ZIMBABWEAN stakeholders and key players from Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya will this year be mobilised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to embrace the agency's Quality of Life Initiative aimed at improving urban living conditions, according to a statement released to this newspaper.
This comes in the wake of the rapid growth of urbanisation on the continent, which has presented African governments with challenges in enhancing living standards.
The Quality-of-Life Initiative equips local authorities with the data and insights they need to ensure that urban expansion benefits every resident.
UNECA said on Tuesday that underpinning the initiative was the Quality-of-Life Index, which encompasses improving access to housing, transport, and water, among other basic services.
“As African cities grow rapidly, ensuring that urbanisation leads to better living standards remains a pressing challenge. The Quality-of-Life Initiative equips local authorities with the data and insights they need to ensure that urban expansion benefits every resident.
“Central to the Initiative is the Quality-of-Life Index, which gives local authorities a pulse-check of urban life across nine critical domains, including access to basic services, housing, and economic opportunities.”
The statement underscored that the Quality-of-Life Index was flexible for local authorities on the continent to adopt.
“What sets the Index apart is its adaptability. It combines global benchmarks from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with local priorities identified by city stakeholders, enabling each municipality to develop a bespoke index that reflects its unique context, values, and priorities.
“This evidence-based approach enables local authorities to make targeted decisions and measure their precise impact.”
Commenting on the efficacy of the Quality-of-Life Initiative, chief of ECA’s Urbanisation and Development Section, Atkeyelsh Persson, said the programme was suitable for the chosen African countries, considering their rapid rate of urbanisation.
“Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe are at the forefront of Africa’s urban transformation.
“Urban growth is inevitable, but the quality of life it delivers is not guaranteed. Metrics like GDP (gross domestic product) might tell us how an economy is performing, but it says nothing about whether people in cities have clean water, safe public spaces, or reliable public transport.”
ECA’s focal point for the Quality of Life Initiative, Giuseppe Tesoriere, added that local authorities had demonstrated zeal to embrace the program.
“Without real data on the human experience, decision-makers are left navigating urban development in the dark,” he said.
“But there is a strong appetite for change. City leaders want better tools to understand what truly improves daily life — and how to make it happen. That is where our Quality of Life Initiative comes in. We look forward to working with stakeholders in these four countries to explore urban policy proposals that put people first.”
“The Quality of Life Index addresses these challenges by integrating with Africa’s expanding Voluntary Local Review (VLR) process — a city-led assessment that monitors progress on the SDGs and fosters multi-stakeholder collaboration,” ECA noted.
“The Index creates synergies with the VLR data to create an actionable tool that local authorities can use to gain a clearer picture of urban life and make data-driven improvements in the lives of city residents.”
Countries in Africa targeted by ECA will have the opportunity to interact with “diverse stakeholders, including policymakers, urban planners, national statistical office representatives, and community leaders, in the coming months to discuss the core elements of a good quality of life and identify areas for improvement.”
“EÇA works in close collaboration with the Quality of Life Initiative to scale up the Index in cities across Africa. The Quality of Life Initiative actively engages with the UN Regional Economic Commissions to mobilise the participation of cities and local governments globally, providing technical support and capacity-building to help them adopt and implement the Quality of Life Index as a tool for urban development and policymaking.”
