Africa has been one of the rapidly urbanizing continents in the world. The Sub–Saharan African region has been projected to be one of the highest urbanizing regions in Africa by the year 2050. Most scholars have often focused on the negative impact of urbanization in the region. This paper provides evidence to show that there are positive impacts of urbanization in the region. Some rural-urban linkages such as access to markets and access to service centers provide mutual benefits for both people living in rural and urban areas. These linkages can therefore be exploited positively to accelerate development in the region.

The 21st century has been characterized by rapid urbanization, with the forces of agglomeration getting very stronger each passing day and consequently making previously small towns expand at a very faster rate. Urbanization is accompanied by both problems and benefits. Globally there are a lot of rural areas benefiting from the urbanization of major cities. Africa has over 40 percent of its population now dwelling in cities (Hussein and Suttie 2016). Africa is expected to have an urbanization rate of around 56 to 64 percent by the year 2050, Sub Saharan Africa has been tipped as the region in Africa which will experience the largest percentage of urbanization come 2050 (Hussein and Suttie 2016).