The Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST) has engaged various stakeholders in the transport and planning sector on Inclusive Climate Resilient Transport in Africa study aimed at strengthening the transport sector in Zambia.
This is in a bid to meeting the mobility needs of disadvantaged groups in a changing climate that are perceived to vulnerable when it comes to accessing transportation.
The ZRST chairman Mr. Daniel Mwamba chaired a focus group meeting that involved planners, decision-makers, engineers and the disadvantaged groups in the communities, who are regarded as vulnerable when it comes to accessing public transport.
The focus group team discussed how best the voice of disadvantaged groups could be incorporated in decision making and transport planning. This includes persons living with disabilities, children and women in society.
This is in order to develop climate-resilient transport infrastructure and ensure all the disadvantaged groups are included. The project aims at enhancing the capacity of transport planners to assess the mobility needs of disadvantaged groups in Zambia and other African countries such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Mr. Daniel Mwamba said:
“Following the focus group, there is needed to develop a capacity building programme in the area of public transportation in the country, especially where the disadvantaged groups are concerned.
“In order to make transport planning more inclusive and responsive to impacts of climate change, it may be concluded that the disadvantaged are not well included in the entire process and practice. A transport policy review urgently is required to ensure that salient needs of the disadvantaged are included in the policy. Decentralisation may play a big role in engaging more stakeholders and disadvantaged in the entire process. However, roles of partners and key stakeholders should be made not to collide as this has caused confusion in the past”.
Mr. John Chiti – Albinism Foundation of Zambia – Director
“Lack of inclusion of personal with disability in planning – Nothing about us, nothing for us”.
The planners and engineers were drawn from various institutions, that includes the Ministry of Transport and Communication, the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA), Zambia Road Safety Trust, Lusaka City Council, Chinkakata Town Council, Chongwe Town Council, Commuters Rights Association of Zambia, Cheshire Homes Society of Zambia and representatives of the disadvantaged groups, including Youth Disability Inclusion of Zambia, Good Will ambassador for the blind, Albinism Foundation of Zambia, Zambia Down Syndrome Network, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Mental Health Users Network of Zambia, among others.
In the meantime the organisations representing the disadvantaged in the country should up their game in terms of voicing out what affects them and may impact on their livelihoods negatively.
Paramount to inclusiveness is creation of awareness among stakeholders, including the disadvantaged on the planning and implementation process and needs of the disadvantaged in infrastructure development.
The meeting recommended for a holistic approach in the manner in which issues were dealt with among transport players so that no-one is left behind.
The Focus group team demanded a strengthened technical capacity to the transport sectors as part of climate resilience in the planning process.
The ZRST, a leading local NGO for road safety in Zambia, The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), University of York (UK) together with the UN Environment’s (UNEP) Share the Road Programme, is undertaking a 24-month project to strengthen the technical capacity in African low-income counties to develop and implement inclusive climate-resilient transport infrastructure.
