Transforming Africa’s transport sector with the implementation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

The Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) herald a new phase in the global commitment to achieve climate resilience. Fifty three countries in Africa submitted their contributions on the bases of their national development priorities, capabilities and circumstances. Collectively, the INDCs map Africa’s contribution to the goal of the Paris Agreement in limiting temperature increase to 20C above pre-industrial levels. The agreement that opened for signing in April 2016 has come into effect
following its ratification by more than the required 55 countries covering 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This means that, even if all 54 African states had signed the agreement, it would still not have come into effect, as the signatory countries have to be able to contribute 55 per cent of global GHGs. In line with this expectation, this study unpacks Africa’s transport sector NDCs in order to identify and highlight priority actions for both mitigation and adaptation that promote the structural transformation of the transport sector. The paper also seeks to identify and highlight emerging trends in the transport sector across Africa, while also assessing the feasibility of some of these commitments in terms of Africa’s capability.