Abstract:
There is currently a limited understanding of the underlying barriers and enablers in
African cities that may influence the development of walking or pedestrian policies and the
implementation of existing policies. A recent review of institutional and political factors
affecting walking and urban transport policy in Africa suggested that more insight is
needed into the political processes and decision-making in transport in Africa. This paper
contributes insight into these processes by sharing formative research around the gaps
between walking (or NMT/Non-Motorised Transport) policy statements, and policy
outcomes, in African cities. This research involved in-depth interviews with thirteen key
informants from transport and planning sectors across the continent, undertaken to
facilitate further engagement with policy and decision-makers in African cities as part of a
training event in East Africa in June 2022. Through asking questions about how walking is
currently valued as a transport mode in Africa, the authors identify five hypotheses for why
walking policies do not match policy outcomes in African cities.
This paper is based on work published in a project report funded by UKAID through the
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office under t
