Participants at a series of masterclasses in Africa have been taught practical skills and techniques to help them design climate-resilient, inclusive transport infrastructure for African cities.
The workshops, hosted by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York, together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Share the Road Programme, aimed to improve the knowledge and skills of African transport planners and policymakers, to better meet the needs of vulnerable transport users. They made up part of the Pan African Action Plan for Active Mobility (PAAPAM), a comprehensive framework aimed at transforming mobility across Africa by prioritising the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorized transport users.
In Africa, over a billion people walk or cycle every day. It’s the most cost-effective way to access employment and essential services like education and healthcare, but it’s also increasingly unsafe due to damaged or non-existent infrastructure and rising temperatures caused by climate change. This presents a challenge: countries need to develop transport services that are inclusive, by meeting the mobility needs of the most vulnerable, while ensuring that infrastructure – like pavements and cycle lanes – is safe and climate-resilient.
SEI researchers Gary Haq and Howard Cambridge, working on the HVT project Inclusive climate-resilient transport in Africa ,used participatory approaches in Zambia and Uganda to understand the mobility challenges faced by marginalised groups. The project developed a guidance document that outlines various tools and approaches to address these needs and promote inclusive transport planning across the continent. It also highlighted the need for more climate resilient transport infrastructure, ensuring planners understand climate risks, can conduct risk assessment, and can prioritise investment in resilient infrastructure.
The workshops, conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Accra, Ghana in November, provided practical skills and demonstrated new techniques to help participants to:
- develop a better understanding of the impact of climate change on transport
- use the guidance framework to foster inclusivity
- work together to implement strategies for inclusive and resilient transport planning that leads to an increase in active mobility.
The team presented their work on creative and participatory approaches for inclusive and climate-resilient transport planning as part of the masterclass, highlighting the importance of fostering equity and collaboration in mobility systems.
The sessions were well received by city and national governments and brought together stakeholders committed to advancing sustainable and inclusive mobility across East Africa. The masterclass in Addis included high-level engagement from the Ethiopian State Minister of Transport and Logistics, representatives from the African Union Commission, and UNECA, underscoring the importance of this work at regional and international levels.
Through active participation, the exchange of knowledge and the development of practical skills, the workshops signified an important step towards inclusive, climate-resilient and safe active mobility across Africa.