An independent pan-African transport think tank dedicated to the evidence and ideas that will shape how Africa moves — now and for the next generation.
We exist to ensure that Africa's transport policy is shaped by the best available evidence — not donor agendas, short-term political calculation, or vested interest.
Transport Futures was founded on the conviction that the decisions African governments make today — about how cities are designed, how corridors are financed, and which technologies are adopted — will determine the quality of life, economic opportunity, and climate outcomes for hundreds of millions of people for generations.
Our researchers work across every mode and context — from informal transit and BRT to continental rail, aviation, and last-mile connectivity in peri-urban communities. We publish freely available research, engage directly with national governments and regional bodies, and convene the practitioners, planners, and policymakers building Africa's transport future.
We combine the rigour of academic research with the accessibility and policy relevance that practitioners and decision-makers need.
We choose our research agenda based on where evidence is weakest and need is greatest — free from government or industry direction. Our funding model protects this independence.
Every report undergoes peer review by external experts. We use mixed methods — quantitative modelling, systematic review, and qualitative fieldwork — matched to each research question.
We make our findings available to everyone: full technical reports for researchers, policy briefings for officials, and plain-language summaries for the public.
Founded in 2016 at a pivotal moment for African infrastructure policy, Transport Futures has grown from a small research unit into one of the continent's leading independent voices on mobility.
Transport Futures established by Prof. Sarah Chen and a founding cohort of researchers from the University of Nairobi and Strathmore, with seed funding from the Africa Infrastructure Development Foundation.
Our report on urban bus network reform in East Africa was cited in Kenya's National Transport Master Plan revision — our first direct influence on national legislation.
Launched a three-year programme on integrating informal transit into formal networks across West and East Africa, producing ten reports that informed transport reform in Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya.
Established research partnerships in Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Morocco — extending our evidence base across all five African regions for the first time.
Launched the Electric Futures research programme, examining the conditions under which African countries can leapfrog fossil-fuel mass transit and deploy electric mobility at scale.
Prof. Sarah Chen appointed to the AU Commission's expert advisory panel on sustainable continental transport — the most significant policy role in our nine-year history.
These principles guide everything we do — from how we conduct research to how we engage with funders, partners, and critics.
We publish what the evidence shows, even when inconvenient. No funder, government, or industry partner has editorial influence over our findings.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards of evidence. All research is peer-reviewed and methodology is publicly available.
Transport shapes life chances. We centre the needs of those who have least access and greatest need in all our research and advocacy.
All our research is free to access. We believe knowledge about public policy should be a public good — not behind a paywall.