Active Mobility. Image credit: Unsplash/Bruce Mars
Cairo: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat, and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched the first-ever Pan African Action Plan for Active Mobility (PAAPAM) at the World Urban Forum in Cairo, Egypt, marking a significant milestone in ensuring a just transition in the transport sector.
The action plan was developed in partnership with the FIA Foundation through extensive regional, national and local consultation with over 1,300 stakeholders across Africa. It provides a comprehensive framework that emphasizes the importance of investing in walking and cycling and other non-motorized transport modes for health, environmental, air quality, road safety, and social equity – and ensures that no one is left behind in the mobility transition.
“While we know that transport is one of the largest emitting sectors in Africa, action for active mobility is not just about transportation,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Executive Director of UNEP. “It’s about ensuring safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environments and increasing resilience in both urban and rural areas.”
The initiative launches just weeks after multiple international development partners signed the Hamburg Charter for Inclusive and Just Mobility. The Charter emphasizes equitable and climate-friendly access to opportunities and empowered and integrated public transport, among other things.
Africa faces significant mobility challenges. Despite having only 3% of the global vehicle fleet, the continent accounts for 19% of global road traffic deaths, with 33% being pedestrians. While populations rely heavily on walking and cycling throughout the region, comprehensive infrastructure remains largely absent.
The health implications of current transport systems are significant. Recent WHO data shows that air pollution caused 920,862 deaths in Africa in 2019 – nearly 495,000 being deaths from respiratory diseases.
“This action plan represents a crucial step toward healthier and safer cities,” states Dr Li Ailan, Assistant Director-General for Healthier Populations of the World Health Organization. “By promoting active mobility, we are not just fighting climate change – we are addressing a major public health crisis that affects millions of Africans through air pollution, physical inactivity, fatalities and injuries due to road crashes.”
“A united approach, not only between UN agencies but also at regional, national and local levels, will ensure that walking and cycling are fully integrated into broader sustainability efforts,” said Dr Michal Mlynár, Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat. “We already see inspiring examples, such as Addis Ababa’s plans for over 1,000km of pedestrian routes and cycling lanes, and Nairobi’s commitment to allocate 20% of its transport budget for walking and cycling infrastructure.”
The action plan focuses on three primary areas:
Creating safe, accessible, and comfortable spaces for walking and cycling;
Advocating for people who walk and cycle in Africa;
Embedding active mobility into policy and investment processes.
The action plan’s goals are centred on guaranteeing safety, enabling accessibility, enhancing comfort, boosting satisfaction, and increasing commitment and investment in walking and cycling.
FIA Foundation’s Executive Director, Saul Billingsley, points out that millions across Africa rely on walking and cycling daily, yet roads often lack essential safety features like footpaths and crossings.
“This is both an equity issue – disproportionately affecting the poorest and most vulnerable – and an environmental one, as unchecked motorization threatens Africa’s climate and air quality”, he emphasizes. “The Pan African Action Plan for Active Mobility provides a vital blueprint for creating safe, accessible infrastructure that protects all road users and fosters healthier, cleaner cities.”
Recent strides show the potential impact of PAAPAM.
The Addis Ababa Non-Motorised Transport Strategy 2019-2028 aims to achieve 50 per cent female cycling parity by 2028 by developing 200 km of safe cycle infrastructure, integrating bicycle parking at transit hubs, and implementing a modern bike-share system.
Quelimane, Mozambique, where 35 per cent of residents already use bicycles to travel, plans to improve the maintenance of traffic lights, signals, and other street design measures to allow for safer and easier transitions to walking and cycling.
Implementing safe walking and cycling infrastructure in Ghana’s Greater Accra Metropolitan Area over a decade could prevent more than 5,600 deaths and almost 41 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Starting in 2025, UNEP, UN-Habitat, and WHO will implement the framework in at least 10 countries; initial capacity-building programs are already planned for Ghana, Malawi, Cameroon, Morocco, and Kenya.
