Abstract:
Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a well-functioning bicycle market system would
significantly improve the lives of the large numbers of people who struggle to travel to
health services, education, economic opportunities, and basic social services, community
or religious events, because of limited access to motorised transport. Research into the
use of bicycles as a mode of transport in SSA typically considers either (i) the ‘demand’
side of a bicycle market system – barriers and challenges to increased individual use, from
a cost, road safety, acceptability, capability, and preference perspective or (ii) the enabling
environment – infrastructure and policy gaps. This research instead takes an entire bicycle
market system approach, which considers the enabling environment, demand factors,
supply, and supporting services and systems. Key to the market systems approach is
understanding why the market fails to meet the needs of the vulnerable, and developing
appropriate market interventions. This paper shares market system research conducted
for the Bicycles for Growth project in two Southern Africa countries (Malawi and Zambia)
and for comparative purposes also presents findings from Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Key findings are that the bicycle market system across SSA is weak, and that the robust
demand for bicycles is not met by similarly robust systems or supply-side ‘pillars’ of a
market system. Access to bicycle financing, policy support and commitment, supportive
import taxation regimes, supplier/retailer feedback systems, and strong advocacy
networks, are particular weaknesses in the overall system.
