Transport for all in Africa represents a vision of mobility where every individual, regardless of physical ability, age, gender, or health condition, can move safely, comfortably, and with dignity.

Across many African cities, including Lagos, Nairobi, Kigali, Accra, Johannesburg, and Addis Ababa, transportation remains a daily struggle for vulnerable groups who face structural, cultural, and infrastructural barriers that limit their access to essential services.

For millions of people living with disabilities, a simple journey can become an overwhelming challenge due to inaccessible terminals, uneven walkways, high-floor buses, and transport operators who have never received appropriate training.

Wheelchair users often cannot enter public minibuses. These barriers reinforce social and economic exclusion and diminish the ability of disabled citizens to participate fully in society.

Pregnant women also experience significant mobility challenges that compromise their comfort, health, and safety. Overcrowded public vehicles, long queues, lack of priority seating, and the physical strain of standing during long commutes create a transport environment that does not consider maternal wellbeing.

Case study reveals difficulties

A case study from Johannesburg highlighted situations where heat exposure was linked to congenital abnormalities, hypertension in pregnancy and low birth weight, revealing the need for gender-sensitive mobility policies.

Children and young adults, too, face unique obstacles as they are exposed to dangerous streets without safe pedestrian crossings, protected walkways, or regulated school transport systems.

Road traffic injuries remain a leading cause of death among school-aged children and young adults in Africa (road traffic death rates are highest in the WHO African Region and lowest in the European Region) underscoring the urgent need for policy intervention. Older adults can also experience reduced mobility due to vehicle designs that require physical strength to board, lack of priority seating, long distances to bus stops, and insufficient driver patience, which often leads to social isolation.

These perspectives align with global frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063 of the African Union, both of which emphasise the need for equitable and sustainable mobility.

Achieving inclusive mobility across Africa requires investment in universal design, disability-friendly infrastructure, low-floor buses, accessible pedestrian networks, systematic operator training, and reliable public transport fleets.

Creating a transport culture rooted in empathy, awareness, and shared responsibility is equally essential. When African mobility systems are designed with inclusivity at their core, transport evolves from a basic necessity into a tool that expands opportunity, strengthens communities, and upholds human dignity for all.

This article represents the views of Olawale Olalekan David and not necessary those of CIHT.

Image: congested road in Lagos, Nigeria. Credit: Shutterstock.

Olawale Olalekan David