Africa Could Lose Up to $488 Billion by 2030 Due to Traffic Congestion if No Action is Taken
According to a report by Alstom, Africa could lose up to $488 billion by 2030 due to traffic congestion if no measures are taken to reform current transportation systems. This situation is primarily caused by the explosion of private car ownership and the lack of development of urban rail networks.
The report, titled "The Role of Urban Rail in Sustainable Africa," highlights the devastating effects of congestion, which not only leads to productivity losses due to traffic jams but also increases CO2 emissions and accident costs.
In 2015, the number of private vehicles in Africa increased from less than 50 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants in 2000 to over 200. This trend is accompanied by growing pressure on urban road infrastructure, where current congestion costs already amount to $314 billion per year.
The situation could worsen if a modal transport reorganization is not implemented. The report suggests that increasing the share of urban rail to 10% by 2030 and 20% by 2050 could significantly reduce the number of cars on the road, with estimated savings of nearly 8 million cars per day by 2030.
In Egypt, for example, the Greater Cairo rail network already avoids the use of 175,000 cars every day.
The benefits of such a transformation would be numerous. In addition to reducing traffic congestion, the shift to urban rail could avoid the emission of 1 gigatonne of CO2 by 2050 and decrease congestion-related costs, which are expected to reach $17 billion in 2030 in Cairo.
However, setting up these infrastructures requires massive investments, estimated between $65 and $105 billion per year until 2050, a major challenge for African governments.
