events

From June 15–18, 2025, Hamburg hosted the world’s largest gathering of public transport professionals at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit. For the second consecutive summit, the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) joined forces with the European Commission and UITP, building on their successful collaboration at the 2023 Barcelona summit. Together, the partners worked to raise Africa’s profile at this global platform and expand opportunities for knowledge exchange between African cities and their international peers.

At the heart of this collaboration was the European Commission’s Global Gateway initiative, which made it possible for more African delegates than ever before to participate in the global summit. Thanks to the joint effort between the European Commission, UITP, SSATP, and the World Bank, African voices were strongly represented in discussions on sustainable, inclusive, and people-centered transport. Delegates from Morocco, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, and other countries shared their  perspectives on institutional governance, digitalization, and sustainable financing—key issues shaping the future of urban mobility across the continent.

Throughout the summit, SSATP played an active role in high-level sessions, including:

• Presenting findings from a study on bus terminal governance based on the experiences of Abidjan, Dar es Salaam, Dakar, and Maputo, complemented by experiences from Latin America;
• Joining a session on strengthening project preparation and management in developing countries, with contributions from Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and representatives from Rio de Janeiro and Nairobi;
• Moderating a panel on accelerating public transport development in Africa, which showcased experiences from Agadir, Accra, Kigali, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).

These exchanges highlighted a central message: transforming Africa’s urban mobility systems requires stronger institutions, reliable financing, and international partnerships that place African priorities at the center.

SSATP also featured prominently at the Global Gateway exhibition booth, alongside MobiliseYourCity (MYC) and the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI). Updated materials on SSATP’s Fourth Development Plan (DP4) and flagship publications were shared, introducing global stakeholders to the program’s work on sustainable urban mobility, regional integration, road safety, and resilient road asset management.

Overall, the Hamburg summit underscored the growing value of collaboration between SSATP, the European Commission, and UITP.  By working together to raise Africa’s visibility in global mobility debates, the partners are laying the groundwork for more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient transport systems across the continent.