2025 Reports

Digital Platforms, ICT-Mediated Mobility Services and Emerging Smart Mobility Ecosystems in African Cities: Systematic Evidence Review of Impacts and Research Gaps

Acheampong, Ransford A.; Godwin Boateng, Festival; Agyemang, Ernest; Hotor, Dominic Edem

In the last decade, the mobility ecosystems of major urban centres in Africa have evolved and become more complex with the introduction of new ICT-mediated, platform-enabled mobility solutions. Alongside conventional informal modes, the emergent ecosystems present both opportunities and challenges for meeting everyday mobility and accessibility needs while addressing urban sustainability imperatives. This paper takes stock of the wide-ranging disparate evidence regarding the diverse impacts of ICT-mediated mobility services on the continent. It identifies and critically examines the multifaceted sustainability impacts of the diffusion of ICT-mediated mobility solutions in African cities. The paper synthesizes the emerging empirical evidence and impacts in five themes, namely: user characteristics and equity implications; travel behaviour and sustainability; employment and livelihoods, safety and security; and governance and regulatory response. Across these thematic areas, the paper identifies areas where evidence is either limited or lacking, requiring future research. We argue that characterisation of the emergent ecosystems mainly in terms of conflicts and antagonistic relationships among actors is probably less useful and that future enquiry ought to shift focus to understanding how these ecosystems are evolving and generating potentially mutually beneficial benefits for all actors and stakeholders. The paper also highlights the need for research into how new mobility solutions interface with established informal modes and their combined impact on equitable mobility and accessibility. Finally, it emphasises the need for a better understanding of the emerging governance and regulatory responses and highlights the need for cross-country comparative studies and learning to identify and examine governance models and their relative effectiveness.

Keywords: ICT, digital platforms, ride-hailing, motorcycle-hailing, governance, equity livelihoods, Africa