KENYA is among African
countries with potential to drive e-mobility use in the continent, global
experts have noted, amid a global push for climate proofing transport
investments in emerging economies.
This comes as the
International Transport Forum (ITF)–a think-tank
for transport policy issues which organises the annual global summit of
transport ministers, moves to increase its collaboration
with the continent with the first high-level dialogue
for the mobility sector in Africa set for next year.
Speaking during this year’s summit in
Leipzig, Germany, ITF Secretary-General, Young Tae Kim, said the organisation is “now in dialogue with the Kenyan
government,” and other African countries on building climate
resilient infrastructure.
ITF is an inter-governmental organisation
within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) system.
“I met with the
Kenyan ambassador to France and we discussed the issue. And most hopefully, next
year, we might be able to organise that event to make African countries
participate more actively in these kinds of discussions,” Kim told the Star during the summit.
This, even as he indicated
that developing countries remain exposed to high exports of used-fossil fuel-based
cars which impacts strides being made on adoption of cleaner transport systems.
“It is a bit confusing topic, because when we talk about decarbonising
transport in the Western world, sometimes we really try to remove all the
fossil fuel-based vehicles and we export them to the developing world and the
underdeveloped world. So, people living in that area, they buy a car newly, but
in fact, it's not new, and that has an impact on climate questions,” Kim said during a media briefing.
A recent study by pan-African research network, Afrobarometer, indicates majority
of Kenyans support greater investments in climate-resilient infrastructure.
“Most
Kenyans want their government to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure
(82%) and solar and wind energy (62%) in response to changing weather patterns
and environmental degradation.
74 per crnt say
the government should put more pressure on rich countries to provide resources
to support Kenya’s response to climatic changes,” the report reads in part.
According
to experts, African countries are lagging behind in building climate
resilient infrastructure due to a combination of factors among them lack of investment, inadequate data and financing, and a focus on short-term economic needs
over long-term resilience.
While climate change impacts are severe across the continent,
with many African countries experiencing devastating effects of extreme weather
events, the investments needed to build climate-resilient infrastructure are
not being fully met.
ITF has since called for proper planning and
collaborations to ensure transport resilience to global shocks, while driving
the decarbonization agenda and adoption of clean energy in transport.
“It the financial cooperation worldwide that is happening. It is also about how we
develope renewable energy that is ready to feed our electric buses. And
therefore, I think it's evident that the international collaboration and
cooperation is key for those projects to blossom,” said Juan Munoz, ITF president and the State
Secretary, Ministry of Public Works and Transport for Chile.
The call by
ITF comes as Kenya pushes on with its e-Mobility policy approved by Cabinet
last year, that seeks to guide the country’s journey towards a complete shift
to clean energy use, mainly renewables.
Official statistics indicate that the transport sector
accounts for about 23 per cernt of global carbon emissions.
The Kenyan government
has committed to a 32 per cent reduction
of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030, a target that will partly be
achieved by adoption of green transport systems.
