Preparing East Africa 4 Future Megacities for Moving 50 million People by 2050

Basic Information

Grant ID: K-160

Region: Africa

Country: Kenya

Approval Year: 2020

Grant Year: Year 8

Amount Approved by Donor: $450000.00

Main Product Line: ASA

Sector: Transport

Grant start/completion: March 15, 2021~February 29, 2024 (Anticipated)

Grant Status: Active

TTLs: Maria Catalina Ochoa Sepulveda (Senior Urban Transport Specialist)

Grant Activities

Project Summary:

The objective of this project is to assist East African cities unlock urban transport reforms and investments that are fundamental for developing resilient and sustainable economic pathways to cope and manage the unprecedented growth they are facing. This would help prepare cities to be on track to pursue more economically competitive and livable models. As largely a business development proposal anchored in a capacity building, technical assistance and innovation pillars cutting across sectors, the expected outcome of this proposal is to unlock several investment programs and transformational policy reforms. In preparing to do so, this proposal departs from the recognition that there are several important developments in the region; and that these lessons when cross disseminated and complemented with the Korean experience can help shape an East Africa specific approach to solving the urban transport conundrum. 

List of Activities:

  1. Creating a knowledge network:
    1. In depth needs assessment and consultation with four cities, and program design
    2. Series of four workshops (one per quarter), one per city, facilitated by experts in the field, which will include field visit, a challenge to solve collaboratively, and documented lessons
  2. Leveraging South Korea’s unique urban mobility experience:
    1. Study Tour for all the group to Korea to kick off the Community of Practice – Exposing decision makers to some of Korean’s most innovative urban planning
  3. Leveraging low-cost technology to facilitate transition to modern transport systems:
    1. Collaboratively and based on the research of activity 1.1 and the learnings from 1.2. scope out using design thinking and agile software development a basic platform that supports transportation reform, from minibuses to BRT.        
    2. Platform design/construction            
    3. Pilot Implementation and evaluation in the four cities
  4. Publication of East Africa Urban Accessibility Primer (Policy note):
    1. Policy note writing which includes stock taking, original research and lessons learned from collaborative exercise (The East Africa Urban Accessibility Primer - Policy note)
    2. The Dissemination tour will ensure at least two events, one in Washington DC and one in the region, as side events to other transport conferences
  5. Tactical Technical assistance to unlock key Bottlenecks:
    1. Selected strategic technical assistance support for international experts to unlock bottlenecks that participant cities are facing in short term based on the recommendations that emanate from activities #1-4 above

Outcomes:

Output 1:  

  • In-depth needs assessment of training needs vis a vis priorities to be unlocked, and consultation with cities 
  • Program design 
  • Facilitated Workshops (one per city) - 4 activities/ workshops, 16 participants on average per workshop with representation from four cities, 4 cities participating, and 1 Training Program Developed

Output 2:

  • Study Tour in Korea - 8+ participants and 4 Korean institutions involved

Output 3:

  • Basic design 
  • Minimum viable designed for testing - 1 technology products replicable elsewhere

Output 4:

  • Policy Note Published - knowledge products produced (policy note)
  • Workshop Minutes circulated to participants - 5 knowledge products produced (brief workshop minutes) 
  • Dissemination Events - 2 dissemination events associated to regional/global transport conference

Output 5:

  • Just in time/ tactical on-demand assistance to cities to accelerate their urban mobility programs - 4 technical assistance reports (at least one per city)

Outcomes:

  1. Improved efficiency: Cities in East Africa are facing (and will continue to face) a mobility crisis, that only gets exacerbated with insufficient action and population growth. Considering this, this proposal is aligned with the KGGTF goals as it seeks to unlock those investments that will enable the improved urban efficiency that these cities need in the next decade 
  2. Greater resilience: Along the same lines, the cities under this proposal (Kigali, Dar, Nairobi and Kampala) are all built in flood prone area and are extremely vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events, which furthers exacerbates the existing mobility crisis. Resilient informed mobility is at the core of this proposal. Leverage Korean experience in this subject is instrumental to unlock investments that are climate-proof and to ensure that the institutions that manage the investments can manage them sustainably. 
  3. Increased competitiveness: Urban mobility is fundamental to these mega-cities competitiveness. As we know, state of urban mobility is leading to having these cities be disconnected and unproductive. Urban economic development is intrinsically tight to access to opportunities, for which efficient urban mobility is fundamental.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

  • Sub Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) and the East Africa transport
  • Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korea (MOLIT)
  • Korea Transport Institute (KOTI)
  • Seoul Metropolitan Government
  • The Leaders in Urban Transport Planning (LUTP) program