Report – 3rd MobiliseYourCity Africa Mobility Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon

When? 17-19 September 2019

Where? Yaoundé, Cameroon

Theme: Transformational changes for more inclusive, low-carbon and liveable cities

The 3rd MobiliseYourCity Africa Mobility Conference, held from 17 to 19 September this year in Yaoundé(Cameroon), brought together more than 200 participants. Among these guests were invited 10 African countries and 12 cities of the MobiliseYourCity Partnership, represented by about 40 members of the Africa Community of Practice.

Following the first two MobiliseYourCity Africa Mobility Conferences organized in Agadir in 2017 and Abidjan in 2018,the 3rdeditionof the MobiliseYourCity Africa Mobility Conference was particularly symbolic for the Partnership.

On the one hand, this 3rd Conference reflected on the growing challenges of urban mobility in the countries and cities of sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, while Africa in general is the continent with the highest urban population growth rate, by 2030, cities in sub-Saharan Africain particular will experience the highest rate of urban development in the world. It is therefore crucial to be able to address the current and future challenges of urban mobilityresulting from this rapid growth. To cope with the externalities of a fast-moving urban transport development such as traffic jams, traffic accidents, air pollution, economic inefficiency,… while limiting the growth of GHG emissions of African cities, urban mobility planning is crucial. This Conference has reaffirmed the relevance of the MobiliseYourCity Partnership work in supporting African partner members, through NUMP and SUMP, to implement a new low-carbon, sustainable and more inclusive mobility system in order to improve the quality of life in the city for all inhabitants.

In this respect, the opening of the Conference was dedicated to the official presentation of the Cameroonian NUMP, and the finalized SUMPs of Yaoundé and Douala, the first one that have been completed under the MobiliseYourCity Partnership !

Furthermore, this 3rd edition was very significant both in its scope and in its political impact, particularly on the first day. Indeed, more than 180 people were gathered, including 50 personalities from various Cameroonian ministries, such as Ms. Celestine Ketcha Courtes, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, who made a very powerful opening speech, but also Cameroonian mayors and other African countries(Togo-Lomé)/ Côte d’Ivoire-Bouaké). In addition, other international representatives were present, such as the French Ambassador to Cameroon, and several members of the European Union delegation to Cameroon.

Finally, this 3rd edition was also marked by a high presence of the African Community of Practice, with nearly 40 political and technical representatives, and civil society from partner cities, which is testimony to the growth of the Partnership over the past few years.

This wide Community of Practice had the opportunity to benefit from two days of training to work on urban mobility planning issues through a workshop on the implementation of a SUMP (facilitated by DVDH) and parallel sessions on thematic topics such as GHG emissions, participation and urban logistics. Participants expressed a real interest in the presented themes and the level of interventions was particularly high. The conference thus met its objectives by allowing the MobiliseYourCity Africa Community of Practice to exchange on challenges, solutions and good practices in sustainable mobility planning and by promoting collective learning through sessions facilitated by international experts. On the basis of feedback from representatives of cities and countries involved, the Secretariat is responsible for conducting a capitalization work to enrich and improve the methodological framework of MobiliseYourCity.

During the Conference, members of the Community of Practice, guests and officials were invited to the French Embassy. This reception allowed the recently appointed Ambassador to deliver a speech on the Conference’s contribution to the Africa-France Summit to be held in 2020. As well, a reception of the MobiliseYourCity Africa Community of Practice, organized by the Yaoundé Government Delegate (Mayor), was held at the City Hall in the presence of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development.

Acknowledgements

The MobiliseYourCity Partnership would like to thank the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Urban Communities of Yaoundé and Douala for the work accomplished with a view for the presentation of the finalized SUMP documents. The Partnership would also like to thank all its partners and especially the European Commission, ADEME, AFD, and FFEM who financed this event, and also the MobiliseYourCity Secretariat for the organisation of the Conference, as well as the African Communityof Practice for its involvement. Finally, the Partnership thanks all the experts for having prepared and facilitated the various thematic and SUMP sessions.

For more information

The detailed programme, as well as articles (in French) on the Conference canbe consulted via the links below. On the other hand, more content and information will soon be available on the new MobiliseYourCity website, which will also serve as an interface to co-construct, with the African Community of Practice, the next edition of the MobiliseYourCity Africa conference on Mobility.