About MobiliseYourCity Africa

Urban mobility in Africa

Africa's urbanisation rate is higher than any other continent. Starting from a relatively low rate, its urban population is set to grow from 40% to close to 60% by 2050. Numerous African cities are set to double in population size over this period. This rapid urbanization could potentially drive socio-economic growth, allow private economics to flourish and governments to provide public services in a cost-effective manner.

However, African cities are facing critical challenges in supporting this rapid population increase, not least of which in the urban transport space.While walking and informal public transport are the dominant modes of transport in most African cities, with a respective average of 44% and 11% of trips in MobiliseYourCity partner cities, infrastructure for active mobility are largely insufficient and motorisation rates are rapidly increasing.

MobiliseYourCity members and partners in the Region

MobiliseYourCity has 31 partner cities in Africa with a total population of over 45 million, and 8 national governments in partner countries with an aggregate urban population of nearly 100 million. Capitals and major cities in West and Central Africa and the Maghreb are represented, including Abidjan, Yaoundé, Douala, Dakar, Kumasi and Maputo, as well as Casablanca and Rabat.

The French Development Agency (AFD) is involved in almost all MobiliseYourCity projects in Africa and is the leader of the partnership's activities on this continent. With the participation of Codatu and Cerema, AFD supports the implementation of 11 Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, 7 of which under direct management, and 4 under the responsibility of local authorities. Two of these SUMPs have been finalised and approved in 2019 and are among the first SUMPs completed under the MobiliseYourCity partnership.

The partnership has also supported the development of National Urban Mobility Policies (NUMPs) in Cameroon (by AFD) and Tunisia (through a collaboration between AFD, GIZ and Codatu), as well as various technical assistance to 6 cities and national governments.

These actions are financed by AFD itself, by the European Union, by the French Global Environment Facility, and by the German Ministry for the Environment and Nuclear Safety.

To know more about the MobiliseYourCity Africa programme, click here.

For more information about each specific project, please read our project factsheets Africa.

Operationalizing MobiliseYourCity Activities in the Region

At least 14 staff members of our Implementing Partners are mobilised on MobiliseYourCity activities in Africa, but counting local partners, experts and consultants, the total goes well over 200 people. These professionals of African mobility regularly exchange information and experiences as part a community of practice, through gatherings, online workshops and an online exchange platform.

Results and project impact in the Region

The most notable achievements of MobiliseYourCity in Africa are the preparation and adoption of two SUMPs in Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon, which are paving the way for the development of a more sustainable mobility in these two large cities, and of a national policy (NUMP) in Tunisia focused on decarbonising urban transport.

Through the construction, equipment and operation of tram, light rail and BRT lines, the cities of Douala, Casablanca and Dakar will provide access to formal public transport for more than 5 million additional people. By solving road infrastructure problems in the short term and formalising paratransit, Yaoundé expects to avoid a negative development in road congestion and to halve the number of road accident victims.

MobiliseYourCity SUMPs and NUMPs in Africa have directly enabled mobilising over EUR 170 millions from international loans and grants, but also offered a more coherent and sustainable framework for the implementation of over EUR 2,2 billion worth of investment and measures for which financing was already secured.

If implemented, the Tunisian mobility policy (NUMP), as well as the Douala and Yaoundé SUMPs, foresee greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 about 20% lower than in the business-as-usual scenario. Together and within the same timeframe, they would avoid the production of a cumulative amount of 37 Mt CO²eq.

The preparation and implementation of sustainable mobility plans and policies is accompanied by training and capacity building support. More than 20 workshops and training have already been organised by the partnership on the African continent, and despite the Covid pandemic, nearly 100 people have been able to participate in online training and workshops tailored to their needs.

Our projects in the region