Inclusive climate-resilient transport in Africa: assessment of the needs of transport stakeholders including disadvantaged groups

The aim of the needs assessment was to determine the main challenges transport planners and decision-makers encounter in meeting the mobility needs of disadvantaged groups in the four project countries of Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia. It also examined the awareness of the risks that climate change poses to the transport system, and the consideration given to climate resilience. In addition, the study took the opportunity to gather evidence from additional Western, Eastern and Southern African countries by including the results of a regional survey in this assessment.

The assessment does not claim to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation in each African country. However, this broad sample does highlight common challenges encountered by disadvantaged groups, transport planners and decision-makers in the current transport planning process.

Approach and findings

The assessment used a mixed-method approach consisting of a regional survey (135 participants), national focus groups (55) and stakeholder interviews (51), covering the countries. Based on the feedback received, a number of common challenges have been identified. These are:

• non-existent or inadequate policy and practice, and poor policy implementation to meet the mobility needs of disadvantaged groups;
• differing perceptions between transport planners and disadvantaged groups on the effectiveness of transport planning and policy;
• poor opportunity for engagement of disadvantaged groups in the transport planning process; and
• low priority given to climate risk and resilience.

On the strength of these, the following common needs can be identified, which will have to be addressed if the four countries are to achieve an inclusive climate-resilient transport system:

• First, there is a need for transport planners and decision-makers to understand better the mobility challenges faced by disadvantaged groups, especially walking and public transport use. This will require the institutional capacity to engage and respond to disadvantaged groups. Appropriate engagement tools and procedures are required to ensure disadvantaged groups are involved in the entire transport planning process. This should be from the beginning of the process, as well as in the evaluation and monitoring of policies, in order to assess the short- and long-term impacts of transport policies on inclusion and service provision.
• Second, greater awareness is needed of the potential impact of climate on the transport sector and how to make transport infrastructure more resilient. This will require enhancing the capacity of transport planners to understand the climate risk to transport, and the measures that can be taken to improve the resilience of transport infrastructure (e.g. undertaking vulnerability and risk assessments). In addition, it would also require the availability of financial resources and priority to be given to investing in adapting transport infrastructure to future climate change. This will be important in order maintain levels of non-motorized transport (NMT) use.

Way forward

The findings of the needs assessment will inform the next stage of the research project, which aims to provide a Guidance Framework to support inclusive climate-resilient transport planning in Africa for transport planners, decision-makers and representatives of disadvantaged groups.