The LAMATA 2025 International Conference on Sustainable Urban Mobility (SUMConference25) concluded today with the release of the Lagos Communiqué on Sustainable Urban Mobility for African Cities. The three-day event, themed “Harnessing Clean Urban Transport Innovation and Investment in Africa,”successfully moved the dialogue from theory to concrete commitments, establishing a collective roadmap for Pan-African cooperation. The Communiqué centers on three core pillars: Data-Driven Action, Governance & Policy, and Finance & Economic Opportunity. Participants, including representatives from African cities, national and state government officials, and financial institutions, committed to leveraging real-time data to drive policy.

This includes addressing the critical issue of Air Quality, which currently accounts for over 40,000 annual deaths in Nigeria alone. The consensus mandates a focus on expanding low-cost air quality sensor networks and implementing the Pan-African Action Plan for Active Mobility (PAAPAM) to promote walking and cycling for public health benefits. Crucially, the conference addressed the High Initial Capital needed for the electric vehicle (EV) transition and related infrastructure. Delegates committed to developing financial policy frameworks that attract and sustain investor’s confidence, including monetizing emission reductions through Carbon Markets as a vehicle. For the private sector, the communiqué calls for investment across the full value chain—from local assembly and battery technology to charging infrastructure. It also mandates an embrace of a Just Transition, requiring proactive dialogue with informal transport operators to ensure fair training and inclusive business models. The conference commited to solidifying several key agreements and commitments, including a continuous collaboration between LAMATA and Transport for London (TfL) to scale up the carbon market. African cities like Windhoek, Durban, Kigali, and Freetown have also committed to implementing the PAAPAM and expanding their clean transport fleets, setting a strong precedent for continent-wide adoption of sustainable mobility. The commitment by African cities to sustainable urban mobility serves as a shared, decisive instrument to translate collaborative dialogue into measurable action for a cleaner, more equitable urban future.