Africa’s mobility crisis: Political games leave the vulnerable stranded

As Africa urbanises and climate shocks intensify, outdated transport planning sacrifices the safety and dignity of millions who walk long distances daily. CHARLEEN CLARKE reports that it’s time for bold, inclusive mobility reforms.

As Africa faces the combined pressures of rapid urbanisation, worsening climate disruptions, and the growing risk of social conflict, questions around transport and mobility have become increasingly urgent.

According to Professor Gina Porter of Durham University, a speaker at the 43^rd Annual Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) last month, these challenges mark a critical juncture – one where bold, inclusive action is both necessary and possible.

Transport at the heart of inequality

Professor Porter, an anthropologist with more than four decades of research experience across the continent, argues that mobility is far more than just infrastructure. “It’s about power, access, and dignity,” she says.

Whether someone can get to work, school, or essential services often depends on their gender, age, location, and household responsibilities. For those with little “mobility capital”, the everyday act of moving around becomes a struggle – and in many cases, a risk.

Walking through danger

In a recent collaborative project with the University of the Western Cape and the NGO Transaid, Porter investigated how young men in low-income South African neighbourhoods navigate their environments. The research, built on peer-to-peer data collection, found that walking – still the dominant mode of transport – is fraught with danger. “These young men fear for their safety, particularly at night,” she notes.

Women’s experiences differ, but are no less fraught. A separate study led by Porter in Cape Town, Abuja, and Tunis revealed that harassment, domestic responsibilities, and unreliable public transport systems severely restrict women’s mobility. “This isn’t simply about moving from point A to B. It’s about survival, dignity, and opportunity,” she stresses.

Beyond roads and cars

Porter is critical of transport planning that remains narrowly focused on vehicles and short-term political gains. “We need to integrate transport into broader discussions – education, health, employment,” she urges. While walking remains central to how millions move each day, pedestrian safety is rarely prioritised in national budgets or policy discussions.

“Sometimes, the policymakers forget that many people living on the African continent have no access to motorised transport. They’re walking very, very long distances. We aren’t collecting enough data on pedestrian risks. With proper investment, we could improve safety almost overnight,” Porter emphasises.

Start with the children!

One of Porter’s key recommendations is to embed road safety education in school curricula from the earliest years. “People often say maths is essential – and of course it is. But, putting it simply, if a child isn’t alive, their ability to do arithmetic doesn’t help them,” she notes. Given that many children walk to school unaccompanied, early and ongoing education around safe mobility is essential. “The skills they learn as children can protect them throughout their lives,” she adds.

Community-led solutions and real policy change

Porter points to the value of collaborative platforms like CityLabs – initiatives that bring together government, civil society, and academia to co-create transport solutions that extend beyond electoral cycles. Cape Town’s CityLab, for example, is demonstrating the potential for long-term, locally-informed planning.

She also champions the role of social scientists in the transport sector. “Engineers alone cannot solve mobility injustice. We need anthropologists, sociologists, and geographers to explain why certain groups are systematically excluded,” she argues.

Local voices, lasting impact

Participatory approaches underpin much of Porter’s work. In one Tunisian project, young women shared their commuting experiences directly with male transport planners – who were, according to Porter, “stunned” by what they heard. Similar engagements in Tanzania enabled older adults to influence national transport policy.

One of the most memorable outcomes of this grassroots engagement occurred in the Eastern Cape, where Porter recalls organising a walk with a local councillor and schoolchildren, covering five miles over hilly terrain to their village: “He was shocked at the distance they travelled daily to go to school.”

When the team returned two years later, a new school had been built in the village and a gravel road had been laid. “It was one of the few clear successes. We wouldn’t claim it as ours, but perhaps we helped in some small way,” she says.

Don’t forget the secondary cities

Porter is particularly concerned about the neglect of Africa’s secondary cities – urban centres that often receive the first wave of climate migrants but are rarely the focus of investment or planning. “These towns face their own pressures and need tailored approaches,” she says.

A call to action

With SATC 2025 done and dusted, Porter’s message is direct: transport professionals cannot address mobility justice alone. Real change will require political will and cross-sector collaboration. “We need education, health, and housing experts at the table. Furthermore, as policy frameworks and procedures are reimagined and re-envisioned, specific attention to addressing the needs of people with the least mobility capital is urgently needed if a more just society is to emerge. To date, their voices are those least heard in policy circles,” she says.

“We can avoid spiralling the current crises, but only if we act now – with inclusive policies formulated after direct engagement with those who experience current injustices. And we must have the courage and determination to plan beyond the next election.”