Last month World Cycling Alliance’s (WCA) very own Amanda Ngabirano delivered a successful presentation entitled “Mainstreaming Transport in the Sustainable Development Goals: For a Smart Moving Uganda” to the highest political figures at the National Transport Sector in Uganda. The attendees not only included the Permanent Secretary representing the Minister of Transport, but also representatives from the EU, World Bank and JICA – Japan International Cooperation Agency.

In her presentation Ms. Ngabirano conveyed a clear message to the stakeholders present that cycling must be integrated into national-level policies by showing how cycling-related policies resulted in huge success stories elsewhere in the world (for example, Curitiba in Brazil). Using WCA/ECF’s work on “Cycling Delivers”, Ngabirano also showed how the bicycle ties well with the effort to achieve a number of Sustainable Development Goals. For example, cycling not only provides an easier access to jobs, schools, markets and community activities, but also significantly cuts down on CO2 emissions from urban passenger transport. Ngabirano’s effort to show the connection between cycling and SDGs was very well received by the decision-makers.

Furthermore, Ngabirano made sure that different departments of the Ministry of Transport were tasked with steps to follow-up – after all, the earlier you start integrating cycling into the political agenda, the earlier you get positive results. A Dutch consultancy Move Mobility has offered assistance in guiding the integration of cycling into Uganda’s urban planning strategies. This might not only lead to a great trans-continental partnership, but could also turn Uganda into a role model for cycling advocacy across the whole continent of Africa.

Some of Ms. Ngabirano’s work on urban mobility has also been featured in one of the biggest news portals in Uganda. In one of the articles she argues that

[i]f we envisage the future of our cities as mainly car-oriented, then that will be one of the biggest mistakes we shall have ever made, given the urbanization rate, and the fact that there is no city that runs smoothly only on private cars, and no car user is comfortable with the increasing car menace and enslavement.”

If you would like to know more about Amanda Ngabirano and her work, see here. More information on WCA’s work to achieve SDGs and integrate cycling into the New Urban Agenda can be found here.