How UNEP is building a sustainable transport future in African cities

Like many public spaces in African cities, Adderley Street in South Africa’s Cape Town Central Business District is constantly evolving. The government and the private sector are engaged in ongoing efforts to enhance its infrastructure and amenities through projects to improve pedestrian safety, increase green spaces and promote sustainable mobility.  

Lessons from Adderley Street show that active mobility in many parts of the region is hampered by broken pavements, insufficient lighting and a lack of connected and safe walking and cycling infrastructure. These problems endanger cyclists and pedestrians and can contribute to road fatalities. This can in turn discourage walking and cycling, among the most affordable and sustainable transport modes.  

Infrastructure tailored for walking and cycling reduces pollution while enhancing health and well-being, experts say. The global transport sector directly contributes approximately 14 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, and studies indicate that facilitating safer walking and cycling presents a swift, cost-effective and dependable means to cut emissions from this sector by 50 per cent. 

To encourage a shift towards walking and cycling in Africa, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has engaged over 1,000 stakeholders across Africa to craft the Pan-African Action Plan for Active Mobility (PAAPAM). PAAPAM aims to bring together governments, businesses, financial institutions and other stakeholders to agree on the critical actions needed over the next decade to put people and planet at the centre of transport decision-making and investment. 

“PAAPAM will act as a framework to fast-track the urgently needed basic investments in active mobility,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of the Industry and Economy Division at UNEP. “We have wonderful examples of best practices on the continent. However, there is still much more that needs to be done by a multitude of stakeholders.” 

Out of 54 African countries, only 19 were reported to have a policy for walking and cycling by 2020, underscoring the need to raise awareness and increase investments in infrastructure and advocacy efforts.  

Among the good practices in the region is the Cycle Network Plan, an effort in Ethiopia and its capital, Addis Ababa, to double the number of protected cycle lanes. The actions align with the country’s broader Non-Motorized Transport Strategy, developed in partnership with UNEP.  

Rwanda, too, has the potential to establish itself as a model for sustainable urbanization that can be emulated across the region. In a concerted effort to enhance walking and cycling in the sustainable mobility agenda, UNEP, through its Share the Road Programme, enlisted the expertise of the non-government organization Institute for Transportation and Development Policy to support the Rwandan government in developing the non-motorized transport elements of the country’s National Transport Policy. Rwanda is among 10 African countries that have committed to prioritizing walking and cycling in their national climate action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions, under the Paris Agreement on climate change.  

Developing the Pan-African Action Plan for Active Mobility 

Throughout 2024, UNEP, in partnership with the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and other partners, will continue engaging with stakeholders through workshops, training and networking events to finalize the action plan for walking and cycling. At the first of several regional master classes and consultation workshops held in South Africa in March, government representatives, non-governmental organizations and civil society from across Southern Africa explored Adderley Street and shared challenges and areas of action.