Planning Insight Africa

E-scooters and e-bikes in Kigali, Rwanda. Credits : Guraride It is a complex endeavour to make decisions on how to transform transport systems towards sustainability (Nurhadi, Borén, & Ny, 2014). Technological advancement and innovation in the transport sector, among other sectors, has given rise to concepts such as ‘smart cities’, the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ (Rifkin, Palgrave Macmillan) and is considered to contribute to the transition towards sustainability. Even though new technology is generally advocated for as a contribution to sustainable development, the link between “smart” and “sustainable” is not always straightforward (Haarstad, 2017). Electric mobility is a recent phenomenon in Sub-Saharan Africa. The situation is gradually evolving with the introduction of electric two- and three-wheelers such as bikes, tricycles, motorcycles as well as buses and cars. Some specific examples include Nopia Ride’s electric taxis and Opibus’ electric motorcycles in Kenya; Guraride...

East Africa is one of the six subregions of Africa and is governed at the sub-regional level by the East African Community (EAC). One of the challenges faced by the East African Community (EAC) is a lack of harmony in transport policies, regulations and standards across member states which has resulted in inefficiency and a high cost of doing business within the sub-region. When goods and people move from one border to the next, they are met with different standards and regulations which cause gross delays, increased expenses, loss of perishable goods, discourages cross-border investment and threatens the integration of countries in the EAC. There have been efforts geared towards harmonising the standards particularly in the area of fuel and vehicles. However, there is still room for more work to be done in other aspects of the transport sector to harmonise regulations, policies as well as infrastructural considerations. East African governments score poorly on the corruption perceptio...

The future of urban mobility Our cities matter. They are centres of bustling activity, opportunity and culture with people, goods and services being constantly on the move. A huge proportion of any country’s economic growth is strongly linked to the city, which hosts business districts, schools, places of employment, recreation, and innovation hubs just to mention a few. Cities create a conducive environment for creativity, productivity and innovation. It is no surprise that some of the greatest technological creations today happen in the city.  As cities and their populations grow, so do the set of urban mobility challenges ranging from but not limited to congested roads, declining air quality, loss of economic opportunities, traffic flow inefficiencies, inadequate public transportation systems, poor fuel economy, energy inefficiency and insufficient data to address these challenges. It is estimated that 60 percent of the world’s population will reside in cities by the ye...

Assessment Report on short-lived climate pollutants and mobility trends in Nigeria Introduction Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) are harmful atmospheric pollutants that, as the name suggests, remain in the atmosphere for a relatively short period of time but have adverse climate and health impacts. The atmospheric global warming potential of SLCPs is considered much higher than that of CO 2 despite their limited duration in the air. The main short-lived pollutants responsible for man-made green house effects are black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons. The transport sector is one of the dominant sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Due to the threat that SLCPs pose to climate change and public health, reducing emission of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) is increasingly gaining momentum in the world with many countries choosing to address this under the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). In 2017, App...