Developing a roadmap for the adoption of clean fuel and vehicle standards in Southern and Western Africa

Road transportation is one of the leading sources of outdoor air pollution in Southern and Western Africa, particularly in cities, where emissions from light- and heavy-duty vehicles, minibuses, buses, and two-and three-wheelers continue to negatively affect public health, making motor vehicles a central area for rapid policy response.

This study focuses on efforts in Southern and Western Africa by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles and Engines Initiative to reduce vehicles’ contribution to outdoor air pollution, and the health and climate impacts of vehicles’ emissions. The goal of this report is to provide a roadmap to support the implementation of comprehensive clean fuel and vehicle policies in Southern and Western Africa, paving the way for those countries to:

• Identify current institutional, economic, and policy barriers that have limited countries’ progress. With current regional commitments across the two regions, this report identifies factors that will likely impact the implementation of the regional agreements and proposes ways to address these obstacles.
• Take advantage of the political momentum to implement short-term actions and refine some of the policies to respond to long-term clean transportation goals, including clean air, fuel economy, compliance, and enforcement.
• Assess the social costs and the health and climate co-benefits associated with a regional transition to clean fuels and vehicles.