Risks of increasing territorial inequalities

In many countries, spatial inequalities are becoming so significant that they might compromise the prosperity, stability and security of entire regions trapped in poverty. Currently, in sub-Saharan Africa they result from unequal population, urban networks which reflect inherited colonial patterns and weak or uneven past development policies, with big cities rapidly developing and concentrating infrastructure and public goods. Intermediary cities and small towns have been forgotten, receiving little support from central governments. Territorial approaches to development barely exist, which means the multiple dimensions of inequalities cannot be addressed.