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Some of the rapidly growing rural population in parts of Africa still may be absorbed in the rural areas, but most of the population growth in the future will have to migrate to the urban areas. Most of these urban migrants move to the largest towns; but in many parts of Africa, the small towns today are growing relatively more rapidly than the large, and the small and medium-sized towns are likely to receive a growing part of the urban migrants in the future. Their ability to provide improved living conditions to the migrants depends on their ability to transform and expand their economy, and that depends on the structure of their linkages both with the rural areas and the larger towns and cities. This work investigates the role and economic raison d'etre of the small rural town, the structure and development of its economy and its relations to the rural hinterland, the larger urban centres and the national and international economy.