Sustainable Transport at the heart of ReCAP event at SSATP Annual General Meeting

​In collaboration with the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) and the African Road Maintenance Funds Association (ARMFA), ReCAP organised an inaugural edition of the Africa Sustainable Transport (AST) forum, which was held as a Specialized Technical Session on Sustainable Transport (STSST) at the SSATP Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Vic Falls in Zimbabwe.

Over 2018 and 2019, ReCAP has held consultations with African transport related multilateral institutions to gauge the interest for such a forum. The inspiration for the project came from the annual Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) forums for Asia, organised by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), where rural mobility and rural access have been high on the regional agenda since 2016. Following the consultations in Africa, ReCAP provided seed funding and collaborated with SSATP, a major player in transport policy on the continent, to organise a policy-level sustainable transport event for Africa. The idea behind the event was to create a platform for the exchange of ideas, lessons learned and good practices in the development path for sustainable transport solutions.

The full-day session was held as a plenary event of the SSATP AGM and attracted over 120 delegates, comprising senior government officials from African countries as well as representatives from the private sector and multilateral organisations, including the African Development Bank, (AfDB), World Bank Group, (WBG), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, (UNECA), UN-Habitat and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia (UNESCAP). The diverse agenda included topics ranging from the conceptualisation of sustainable transport, rural access and mobility, climate resilient transport and infrastructure, the new urban agenda, innovative technology and digital solutions in support of the transition to sustainable transport; all contributing to a sustainable transport agenda. 

The feedback from attending delegates on the event, as well as from the SSATP Program Management, was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. SSATP Program Management recognised the value of a dedicated forum addressing sustainable transport and expressed the wish to have it become a regularly returning event preceding the SSATP AGM. The wide range of topics addressed were of interest and use to the audience, and the delegates particularly appreciated the learning and networking opportunities that the event provided. ReCAP and DFID were invited to play an active role in the preparation of a next edition of the Forum.

For more information on ReCAP engagement in multilateral transport discussions, please contact Caroline Visser, ReCAP Knowledge & Communication manager, on caroline.visser@cardno.com.