The OECD Sahel and West Africa Club (OECD/SWAC) and the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE) hosted a webinar on how data and inclusive planning could support more sustainable and gender-responsive urban transport in Africa. Experts shared results from a collaborative project in Ghana, showing how new evidence had fed into Accra’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan and offered insights for other African cities working towards accessible and people-centred mobility.
Background:
African cities were expanding rapidly, and transport systems were struggling to keep pace. In Accra, most daily trips were made on foot or by trotros—informal minibuses that served most residents. Yet cars, used only by a small minority, dominated road space and planning priorities. This imbalance fuelled congestion, limited access to essential services, and drove rising emissions.
Accra’s urban footprint had expanded by more than 400% between 1985 and 2020, leaving many neighbourhoods disconnected from markets, schools, and healthcare facilities. These access gaps were not felt equally. Gender-disaggregated data highlighted how women and men experienced mobility differently, with women often paying more, both in time and cost. Gaps in transport and land-use planning often reinforced these inequalities. The choices made at that time were decisive, shaping whether cities locked themselves into high-emission patterns or moved towards more inclusive, low-carbon futures—not only in Accra, but across Africa.
This collaborative initiative—led by OECD/SWAC, GAPTE, the University of Ghana, and the OECD International Transport Forum, with the support of the Swiss Development Co-operation—examined these challenges in depth. It mapped access to essential services, analysed gendered mobility patterns, and explored future mobility pathways. By assessing options such as bus rapid transit, trotro network extensions, and safer walking and cycling infrastructure, the project generated strategies to inform city-wide transport planning and inspire more inclusive, accessible, and resilient mobility systems across Africa.
Objectives:
Shared findings from the Ghana experience to demonstrate how spatial analysis, gender-disaggregated data, and future mobility pathways could inform policy and planning decisions, including Accra’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan.
Facilitated dialogue among local, national, and regional actors on how local innovations could inform broader transport strategies across Africa, and highlighted practical pathways for advancing accessible, inclusive, and climate-resilient urban transport.
