decentralization of industries from the primate city to regional centres which nO\: serve as growtt1 poles for. the regions. 18. As a consequence of the rapid growth of the metropolitan centre in most I:CA member States, the most enterprising elements of the ropul at ion are s irboned away from the rest of the urban system. In many cases the population of the second largest .urban centre h. less t..han a fifth of that of the largest, and its size determine£ that of the other urban centres. As many as 70 per cent of African Governments express strong dissatisfaction with their current pattern of spatial distribution. 19. Virtually all the countries covered by the 1979 review of population trends and policies reported problems arising from the rapid growth of the metropolitan region. Botswana reported that its urban population had been increasing by 12 per cent a year. Egypt reported that the concentration of people in and around the Nile delta was one of its major development problems. A number of countries with predominantly rural populations (e.g. Burundi) emphasized the problem of dispersion of the population in rural areas. Several Governments (e.g. Gabon, the Ivory Coast and Somalia) highlighted the mechanisms that determined patterns of spatial distribution, as well as the problems they caused. D. Population redistribution policies 20. t-1ost government FOl icies aimed at mitigating the popula­ tion distribution rroblems referred to above are designed to retain population in the rural areas by means of such measures as employment creation, provision of infrastructure and rural 134 E/ECA/C~l. 9/5 development. Some countries (e.g. Botswana, E'urundi, Gabon and the Ivory Coast) are making special efforts to f;ettle frontier areas or sparsely populated areas, and a few }',ave complex plans for the construction of new urban centres. A number of Govern­
**Analysis**
The text discusses the decentralization of industries, population growth, and government policies aimed at mitigating the problems caused by uneven population distribution. The focus is on the economic and urban development aspects, highlighting the consequences of rapid growth in metropolitan centers and the need for policies to retain population in rural areas.

**Category**
Economic development, Employment