Tanzania, May 3 -- Unguja. African cities are growing at a pace that far outstrips the systems meant to manage them, forcing governments into a costly and often ineffective cycle of catch-up, economist and public financial management expert Fred Owegi has warned.

Speaking at the Africa Urban Lab public talk in Zanzibar, Mr Owegi said the continent's urban story is increasingly defined by a mismatch: rapid, organic expansion on one hand and delayed planning and governance on the other.

"Many of our cities did not start with master plans," he noted.

"They evolved, sometimes over decades or even centuries, as trading hubs or cultural centres. Planning and governance came later, often trying to catch up with growth that had already taken s...