SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICITS IN INTERMEDIATE AFRICAN TOWNS: A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF TRANSPORT AND LEISURE SCARCITY IN QUIBALA, ANGOLA

Abstract

This study analyses the social infrastructure deficit in the Marien Ngoabi neighbourhood, a peri-urban settlement in the municipality of Quibala, Cuanza-Sul province, Angola. The research focuses on two critical urban dimensions: the precariousness of public transport services and the structural scarcity of public leisure spaces. Adopting a rigorous quantitative design, data collection was carried out through a structured questionnaire administered to a geographically stratified random sample of 120 adult residents. The empirical results demonstrate extreme deficits: 78.3% of respondents are entirely dependent on walking as their primary mode of displacement to work or school due to the total absence of formal public transport networks. Furthermore, 84.2% of the population evaluates local transport conditions as “poor” or “very poor”. Regarding recreational infrastructure, only 12.5% of residents live within 500 metres of any functional green area or community space. Inferential statistics revealed a significant socio-economic gradient: lower-income households are disproportionately trapped in mobility exclusion, while younger demographics express severe dissatisfaction with the lack of recreational options. The article concludes that the neighbourhood faces a severe, overlapping infrastructure deficit and proposes policy directions focused on participatory urban management and decentralized local investments to support municipal governance.