https://www.gofundme.com/f/Support-the-African-Experience
We are thrilled to announce that Cycling Cities: The African Experience has just been published. This landmark volum, led by Njogu Morgan (Wits University, Johannesburg), Ruth Oldenziel (Eindhoven University of Technology), Peter Norton (University of Virginia), and Yusuf Madugu (Bayero University, Kano), brings together 17 case studies in 12 countries from across the African continent.
Companion to Cycling Cities: The European Experience, the new publication will engage students, policymakers, and activists, and urban mobility enthusiasts interested in sustainability, transport, and social change.
From Aba to Zomba via Cairo to Cape Town, Cycling Cities: The African Experience serves as a catalyst for change. Building on the Sustainable Urban Mobility (SUM) research program, it unites interdisciplinary voices from Africa and Europe to explore how cities are reimagining movement, equity, and climate resilience. Together, we are fostering an intercontinental network of knowledge and expertise—one that connects local innovation with global sustainability goals.
Did you know that some postcolonial African leaders saw the bicycle as a symbol of empowerment? Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s founding president, viewed it as a tool of self-reliance central to his Ujamaa socialist vision. In contrast, South Africa’s colonial and apartheid legacies entrenched car dependency and racial inequality—obstacles that cycling activists continue to challenge today.
Across African cities, pro-bicycle movements are reclaiming the streets—through new infrastructure, policy reform, and critical mass events. This book documents these transformations with maps, photographs, infographics, and tables, offering an engaging, visually rich, and academically rigorous story that will appeal to both scholars and general readers alike.
By supporting this project, you help sustain a global movement that “thinks bike.” Your contribution strengthens the growing network of researchers, policymakers, NGOs, and activists working toward sustainable mobility in Africa and beyond.
Our editors and authors have volunteered their time and expertise to make this project possible. With your continued support, this collective effort will keep expanding—building the momentum for more inclusive and sustainable cities.
It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a movement to make a difference.
Aba, Nigeria – Uche Uwaezuoke Okonkwo
Bamako, Mali – Issa Fofana, Issa Togola
Cairo, Egypt – Nourhan Abdelghaffar, Carine Khalil, Ranya Ayman Lotfyl
Cape Town, South Africa – Siddique Motala, Phano Liphoto, Marianne Vanderschuren, and Therona Moodley
Chipata, Zambia – Emmanuel N. Kamuna and Chris H Chirwa
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Frank Edward
Douala, Cameroon – Salifou Ndam, Patrick Rérat
Gulu, Uganda – Patrick Otim
Johannesburg, South Africa – Njogu Morgan
Kampala, Uganda – Tom Courtright
Kano, Nigeria – Yusuf Madugu
Kisumu, Kenya – Jethron Ayumba Akallah
Maputo, Mozambique – Classio Joao Mendiate, Eduardo Pelembe
Mzuzu, Malawi – Dennis Mwanyanja Mwiba
Nairobi, Kenya – Dorcas Nthoki Nyamai
Tamale, Ghana – Sabine Luning, Samuel Ntewusu, Gideon Asmah
Zomba, Malawi – David Drengk
Research, writing, presentation took place in 2022-2024 with research group meetings in Accra (Sept 26-29, 2022), Johannesburg (November 2022), Dar Es Salaam (January 2023), Long Beach (October 2023), Tamale, Ghana (June 4-8, 2024). Publication released November 5, 2025.