By Baboloki Semele: As urban populations in Africa continue to grow at an unprecedented rate, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is taking steps to ensure that this expansion translates into improved living conditions. In 2025, ECA will mobilize cities in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe to join the Quality of Life Initiative, a UN-Habitat program designed to provide data-driven insights for enhancing urban life. Africa’s urbanization is among the fastest in the world. By 2050, more than half of the continent’s population is expected to live in cities, according to the African Development Bank. While urban centers can be hubs of economic opportunity, they often face challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, lack of access to essential services, and environmental degradation.
The https://www.uneca.org/quality-of-life-initiative seeks to address these challenges by equipping city leaders with actionable data. At its core is the Quality of Life Index, which measures urban well-being across nine domains, including basic services, housing, economic opportunities, and public safety. This index combines global benchmarks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with locally identified priorities to ensure that urban policies are responsive to real community needs. Quality of Life Index has been designed to give city leaders a comprehensive pulse check across nine key domains: basic services & mobility, culture & recreation, economy, education, environment, governance, health and wellbeing, housing, and social cohesion. According to online information the index, what makes the Index practical is its adaptability as it merges 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 according to UN equips local authorities with timely insights to make targeted interventions and measure precise impact.
The ECA’s engagement in the initiative is aimed at fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration. In the coming months, the Commission will bring together policymakers, urban planners, representatives of national statistical offices, and community leaders to define core elements of a good quality of life and identify areas for improvement in the four participating countries.
“Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe are at the forefront of Africa’s urban transformation,” said Ms. Atkeyelsh Persson, Chief of ECA’s Urbanization and Development Section. “Urban growth is inevitable, but the quality of life it delivers is not guaranteed. Metrics like GDP might tell us how an economy is performing, but they do not indicate whether people in cities have clean water, safe public spaces, or reliable public transport.”
A key challenge in African urban development has been the absence of comprehensive, localized data that reflects the daily experiences of residents. Mr. Giuseppe Tesoriere, ECA’s focal point for the Quality of Life Initiative, emphasized the importance of accurate data for decision-making. “Without real data on the human experience, decision-makers are left navigating urban development in the dark. But there’s a strong appetite for change. City leaders want better tools to understand what truly improves daily life—and how to make it happen.”
One of the initiative’s strengths is its integration with Africa’s expanding Voluntary Local Review (VLR) process. The VLR is a city-led assessment that monitors progress on the SDGs, fostering collaboration between local governments and international development organizations. The Quality of Life Index complements the VLR, transforming its findings into actionable tools that cities can use to implement policy changes and infrastructure improvements.
The initiative is also part of a broader UN effort to enhance urban quality of life globally. The ECA works closely with the Quality of Life Initiative to expand the adoption of the index across Africa. Additionally, the initiative is supported by other UN Regional Economic Commissions, such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which is leading a joint commitment titled Enhancing Quality of Life in Cities: A Unified Inter-Regional Perspective.
A press release by ECA and UN-Habitat says the success of the Quality of Life Initiative in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe could pave the way for its expansion to other African countries, adding that the initiative will not only provide valuable insights into the most pressing urban challenges but also equip local authorities with the tools necessary to address them effectively.
The release further says with an increasing global focus on people-centered urban development, the initiative represents a major step toward transforming African cities into places where all residents can thrive. By prioritizing data-driven policymaking, the ECA and its partners are working to ensure that Africa’s rapid urbanization results in sustainable, inclusive, and high-quality urban living conditions.
About ECA
Established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSO;C) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN’s five regional commissions, ECA’s mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development. Made up of 54 member States, and playing a dual role as a regional arm of the UN and as a key component of the African institutional landscape, ECA is well positioned to make unique contributions to address the Continent’s development challenges.
About the Quality of Life Initiative
Implemented by UN-Habitat and sponsored by the Quality of Life Program, the Quality of Life Initiative is a global project transforming how cities understand and improve urban well-being by harnessing human-centered data to capture what people truly value. The Initiative invites cities to undertake an assessment of their residents’ quality of life to identify key areas for monitoring and improvement. By going beyond numbers and using an inclusive approach, the Initiative empowers people to pioneer a better future by providing new insights and knowledge to create more resilient, compassionate, and thriving communities. This innovative approach paves the way for a more inclusive future, where multiple dimensions of quality of life are brought to light, driving improvements in urban governance, design, and investment.
About UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat is the United Nations entity responsible for sustainable urbanization. It has programmes in over 90 countries supporting policymakers and communities to create socially and environmentally sustainable cities and towns. UN-Habitat promotes transformative change in cities through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance, and collaborative action.