Displacement-Driven Urban Strain: The Economic and Governance Impacts on Secondary Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a Focus on Somalia: Literature Review

Abstract

The rapid migration to secondary cities in sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most salient features of the urbanization process today; however, many of these secondary cities have limited economic base capabilities and little or no capacity to provide effective governance services to the internally displaced populations (IDPs) they host. A literature review was conducted to examine the impact of displacement-driven urbanization on economic and governance outcomes in secondary cities, with a specific focus on Somalia. Using primary research data from peer-reviewed academic studies, United Nations and World Bank reports, Somali Government Policy Documents, and International Organization Assessment Reports, this paper synthesized the evidence of the structural pathways through which displacement drives the formation of urban strain in secondary cities. It was found that displacement does not function as an episodic humanitarian crisis event but rather as a persistent force driving the transformations of secondary cities. These transformations include the creation of mutually reinforcing structures of economic informalization, governance fragmentation, tenure insecurity, spatial exclusion, and service-delivery overload. These same processes were also identified in Somalia and were further exacerbated by the protracted civil war, climate-related shocks, the use of legal pluralism in land governance, and the continued reliance on humanitarian support as a substitute for municipal service provision. Cities such as Baidoa, Kismayo, Bosaso, and Garowe have emerged as critical urban centers in the Somali region, where displacement continues to drive increased fiscal burdens and weaken local institutional capacities, while also creating and sustaining parallel systems of governance. Without the implementation of coordinated and city-centered strategies that address displacement, it is expected that displacement will continue to be permanently urbanized in ways that further exacerbate poverty, inequality, and fragility. Therefore, the paper concludes that the paradigm of short-term humanitarian responses should be replaced by displacement-sensitive urban development strategies that strengthen municipal governance, enhance tenure security, incorporate informal settlement areas, and coordinate humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding interventions. Furthermore, the paper identifies the unique challenges of Somalia's secondary cities and their contributions to the body of knowledge in urban studies and displacement studies, while offering policy recommendations to advance urban resilience and durable solutions in fragile and climate-affected regions.