The French Development Agency (AFD) publishes this month its new sectoral intervention framework in the field of mobility and transports, available here:
https://www.afd.fr/fr/cadre-intervention-sectoriel-mobilite-et-transports-groupe-afd
French bilateral aid is already known for its strong involvement in urban development and specially in urban mobility. In the new strategy the financing of conventional investments in mass transport is continued, but is also extended to the support to local actors in terms of mobility planning, innovation, pilot schemes, and to other approaches such as improving the level of service for buses and minibuses, promoting active modes, or traffic management. CODATU welcomes these developments, which meet the main principles defended by the association. AFD’s financial commitment in these areas will increase significantly, from 1.2 billion euros / year on average to 1.5 billion euros / year in the next few years, and with priority always given to Africa.
The paper gives a review of the “strategic partnership with the CODATU association” (see below). Many partnership activities are indeed underway or in development with AFD: technical assistances in Colombia, Brazil and Egypt, the development of the first MOOC for African urban mobility decision-makers, pilot projects for the professionalization of paratransit, the CODATU 2020 Conference in Dakar, the development of the MobiliseYourCity initiative, for which AFD has just approved donations of EUR 5 million for Asia and EUR 3 million for Africa to provide technical assistance to cities that have joined the initiative in order to set up Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). CODATU is financed by AFD for the implementation of a part of the MYC secretariat in Brussels and the monitoring of the Africa program.
