Douala Urban Mobility Project
Start & End Date: 2022-2028
Country/Countries: Cameroon
Multilateral Institution(s) Involved: World Bank
Congestion and the increasing use of motorized transport modes are causing serious air pollution problems and contributing to rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2018, transport in Douala emitted close to 1,600 tons of CO2eq every day. Annually, this corresponds to each person in Douala emitting on average 169 kg/CO2eq for their trips. Mototaxis are accountable for 40 percent of the city’s total transport GHG emissions and represent the biggest emitter of local air pollutants such as Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM). Although they have a combined modal share of 20 percent in vehicle-km, personal vehicles and taxis account for 53 percent of the city’s transport GHG emissions. Projected increases in motorization will only worsen GHG emissions levels in the transport sector. In addition, as in most cities in sub-Saharan Africa, air pollution is aggravated by the use of aging and poorly maintained vehicles. According to World Bank calculations, carbon monoxide (CO) levels have increased 18-fold between 2015 and 2022, largely due to traffic growth.
The project is to improve urban mobility and support inclusive urban and economic development along selected Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors and its feeder lines in Douala. Activities include the (i) support to the institutional strengthening and professionalization of existing public transport operators; (ii) the development of urban road infrastructure and BRT facilities and systems, rolling stock procurement, and related involuntary resettlement compensations; (iii) the rollout of a TransitOriented Development (TOD) program around the BRT system; (iv) project management and capacity building; and (v) a Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC).
The project activities will result in various outputs, including the BRT infrastructure and fleet, and among others, a new structure for public transport and strategies for future urban and economic development in the project area. These will not only improve the quality of public transport and contribute to travel times reductions, but they will also contribute to urban environment enhancement with a special focus on creating a favorable business climate. It will also rehabilitate urban infrastructure and promote more sustainable and green urban development through TOD. Approximately 800,000 people living directly within the project’s influence zone and currently reliant on collective transport services (formal and informal), will have access to a safe, environmentally friendly, reliable, and affordable mass-transit transport system.