African transport ministers pledge support for green urban mobility
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E-mail Xinhua, May 31, 2019
NAIROBI, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Transport ministers drawn from Sub-Saharan Africa region on Thursday vowed to rally behind efforts to promote green mobility in cities amid congestion and air pollution.
James Macharia, Kenya's cabinet secretary for transport and infrastructure, said that African governments are keen to enact policies required to transform urban mobility and make it responsive to social, economic and environmental needs of citizens.
"Efficient and green mobility is key to boosting the resilience of African cities as they grapple with rapid growth and carbon emissions," said Macharia.
He spoke at a high level session on innovative urban mobility for sustainable cities in Africa held on the sidelines of the first UN-Habitat Assembly underway in Nairobi.
The high-level session was organized by UN-Habitat in partnership with the World Bank-affiliated Africa Transport Policy Program and the International Association of Public Transport.
Macharia said that innovative policies combined with investments in new technologies are key to boosting safety and ecological health of urban transport systems in Africa.
"Significant investments should be accompanied by policy reforms to ensure urban mobility is environmentally friendly and free from accidents," said Macharia.
He said that Kenya has prioritized introduction of bus rapid transport (BRT) system and speed trains in line with a master-plan on transforming urban mobility.
Claver Gatete, Rwandan minister for infrastructure, said that a revamped public transport system in African cities should be embedded in the continent's sustainability agenda.
"We should hasten implementation of a new urban transport master-plan that integrates walking and cycling to ease congestion on the roads," said Gatete.
He said that redesign of urban roads, enforcement of traffic regulations and public awareness is key to promoting sustainable urban mobility in Africa.
Zemedkun Girma Tessema, senior transport specialist at the World Bank, said that coherent policies are required to facilitate adoption of innovations required to make urban mobility in Africa green and seamless. Enditem
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