Effects of urbanization on economic growth and human capital formation in Africa

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to investigate the impacts of urbanization on human capital andeconomic growth in Africa. It seeks to contribute to the urbanization-growth debate byinvestigating how urbanization is linked to human capital accumulation and economic growth.More precisely, compared to previous studies on the urbanization-growth nexus, we (i) focusexclusively on African countries; (ii) consider both direct and indirect channels through whichurbanization may influence economic activity and (iii) examine a long period including theevolutions observed in the recent years.