Fighting emissions, poverty and pollution
We work with cities in Africa to bring about transport solutions that cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce poverty and improve the quality of urban life.
Cities in Africa, engage ITDP to provide technical advice on improving their transport systems. ITDP uses its know-how to influence policy and raise awareness of the role sustainable transport plays in tackling greenhouse gas emissions, poverty and social inequality. This combination of pragmatic delivery with influencing policy and public attitudes defines our approach. Our focus is mainly on public transport, walking and cycling, sustainable urban development and traffic reduction.
In addition to promoting cycling and walking as everyday forms of transport, ITDP understands the critical role that bicycles can play for rural communities in helping them access education, healthcare and employment. For nearly a decade, ITDP operated the Access Africa program, which began as a partnership between ITDP, global bicycle industry leaders like Trek and a network of independent African bicycle dealers to make high quality, fashionable, utilitarian bicycles affordable to the African consumer. The bicycles distributed by the Access Africa program were designed specifically for use in Africa—the six-speed California Bike and the less expensive, one-speed Sahelia—so that the bikes could be maintained both locally and at a low cost. The Access Africa Project has enabled thousands of Namibians the opportunity to get better jobs, obtain good education and arrive at health clinics in time.
In addition to helping facilitate lower cost bicycles, Access Africa also began to work with the health care sector to provide bicycles to doctors, doulas and nurses. The bicycles allowed healthcare providers to reach more clients more quickly, while also allowing them to spend more time with patients. At the Worcester Hospice in South Africa, which provides nursing care to the terminally ill, workers on bicycles were able to cover three times the distance they did on foot, reaching 15 more patients each day. ITDP has since distributed bicycles to an array of healthcare organisations in South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, and Kenya, and studied the impact of bikes on healthcare provision.
As cities in Africa shift toward sustainable urban development and climate resilience, ITDP is continuously providing the required technical and policy support towards greener and healthier cities through the provision of improved walking and cycling infrastructure, bikeshare, e-mobility and quality public transport systems.