7 billion neighbors

What urban transport for increasingly large African cities?

The new TER put into service on December 27 at Dakar station.

© Charlotte Idrac, RFI

By: Emmanuelle Bastide

1 min

Urbanization is progressing and African cities are expected to accommodate 950 million additional city dwellers by 2050 according to the OECD.

Faced with this unprecedented growth, the transport challenge is immense for cities that are increasingly spread out and already exposed to monster traffic jams and pollution.

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The daily life of millions of African city dwellers therefore promises to be complicated with an ever longer time spent in transport.

Faced with galloping and sometimes disorderly urbanization, the stakes are high for public decision-makers to make their cities livable and functional for all users.

To decongest cities, a range of solutions is available to them.

Should we bet on major transport infrastructure such as the urban TER inaugurated in December 2021 in Dakar, or the metro in Abidjan, work on which began in the summer of 2021 after 20 years of waiting?

Or more on a more efficient public/private transport network?

Are soft mobility (scooter, bicycle) adapted to African urban contexts?  

Solène Baffi

, professor of geography at the

, specialist in transport and mobility issues in cities in the South and project manager for the

Assogba Guezere

, lecturer in urban geography at the

in Togo.

Author of

Aristide Gahie

, director of planning and studies and projects of

(Urban Mobility Authority in Greater Abidjan)

And a report by

on the TER Dakar-Diamniadio 

Musical programming:

► Zemidjan

– Toofan 

► Not so fast

– DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson 

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