New perspectives on African urban management recommends that more attention be paid to how society and the indigenous economy organizes itself within each African city so that attempts to improve urban management are more firmly rooted in local circumstances. It describes certain dimensions which conventional urban management tends to ignore the importance of rural-urban relationships, the scale of the informal economy, the scale and importance of community based organizations, self-help groups and NGOs in service provision, and the extent to which municipal policies, provision of services and regulation ill-serve the needs of women.