When Energy Transforms Cities: Salwa Bajja’s Vision for Sustainability
UM6P Impact | Science in Action #13
How can African cities balance the urgent need for mobility, trade, and growth with the equally pressing challenge of cutting carbon emissions? In this exclusive Science in Action interview, we sit down with Salwa Bajja, a researcher at UM6P whose groundbreaking studies on transport energy, trade, and urbanization shed new light on Africa’s path toward sustainable development. From her country-specific analysis of Benin to a comparative Africa-wide study, Bajja reveals why transport energy sits at the crossroads of economic opportunity, environmental responsibility, and social equity.
Her findings go beyond data : they invite policymakers, researchers, and innovators to rethink African cities not as sites of crisis, but as laboratories of sustainable innovation. As the world races toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this conversation explores the practical, financial, and policy levers that could transform Africa’s transport systems into engines of low-carbon, inclusive growth.
Why it Matters
In your view, what makes transport energy consumption such a critical issue for Africa’s path toward the SDGs?
Transport energy consumption is a critical issue for Africa’s path toward the SDGs because it lies at the intersection of mobility, trade, urbanization, and climate change. In my Benin research article, results demonstrated that transport energy consumption is one of the largest contributors to rising CO₂ emissions, which directly threatens progress toward SDG 13 on climate action. Yet transport is also indispensable for achieving SDG 8 (economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) because it underpins market access, trade, and human mobility.
The challenge is that Africa’s growing urban populations and trade flows are driving higher fuel demand, often met by fossil-based sources, locking countries into carbon-intensive pathways. My Africa-wide study on trade, energy, and urbanization further underscores this point: energy demand linked to urban growth and trade expansion differs across countries, but in nearly all cases transport is a significant channel. This makes transport energy both a problem and an opportunity if decarbonized, it can accelerate multiple SDGs at once.
Beyond Data
Your results show that the impacts of trade, energy, and urbanization are not the same everywhere. What deeper message does this send about designing? “One-size-fits-all” policies?
The evidence from both studies makes it clear that Africa cannot rely on “one-size-fits-all” solutions. In the cross-country study, some economies with stronger institutional quality and better access to renewable energy were able to absorb the pressures of urbanization and trade with relatively lower environmental costs. By contrast, others with weaker governance or limited renewable infrastructure faced sharp increases in emissions under similar conditions. The Benin study illustrates how a country-specific context smaller market size, high dependence on imported fossil fuels, and weak transport alternatives produces a different policy challenge than in larger or more diversified economies. The deeper message is that effective climate and energy strategies must be context-sensitive, recognizing differences in geography, industrial structures, financial systems, and governance. Regional coordination is important, but localized strategies are essential for meaningful progress.
Policy Value
What practical contribution does your research bring to policymakers who are balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability?
My research provides practical contributions by offering policymakers evidence-based pathways to balance growth with sustainability. In Benin, the analysis highlighted the urgent need to diversify transport energy away from fossil fuels by investing in renewable-powered transit, improving public transport, and strengthening logistics management. These measures not only reduce emissions but also improve efficiency and accessibility. In the Africa-wide study, the nuanced impacts of trade, energy, and urbanization suggest that policymakers must adopt integrated policies—linking trade openness with energy efficiency standards, aligning urban planning with renewable infrastructure, and using regulatory tools to avoid lock-in effects of high-carbon growth. Taken together, the studies show that economic growth and sustainability need not be a trade-off; with careful design, they can reinforce each other.
Rethinking Development
How does your work invite us to see African cities not only as sites of challenges but also as laboratories of sustainable innovation?
Too often, African cities are portrayed as sites of environmental crises pollution, congestion, and overconsumption of energy. My studies invite a reframing: these cities are also laboratories of sustainable innovation. In the Africa-wide study, I found evidence that some urban centers, when supported by renewable energy and better urban planning, can lead the way in sustainable growth. Similarly, in Benin, the very constraints that make transport energy a challenge also create opportunities for leapfrogging for instance, adopting solar-based transport technologies or developing non-motorized mobility networks. By viewing African cities as dynamic spaces of experimentation, policymakers and investors can unlock new models of urban sustainability that are not mere imitations of Western trajectories but tailored innovations rooted in African realities.
Financial Development
Many studies overlook finance in environmental debates. Why is it so important in your findings, and how can it change the game?
One of the less explored yet decisive factors in sustainability debates is finance. Both studies reveal its importance. In Benin, the lack of robust financial systems severely constrains the country’s ability to transition transport toward cleaner energy. Meanwhile, the Africa-wide study shows that variations in financial development across countries directly shape how well they can implement sustainable trade and urban policies. Finance is the enabler: it determines whether countries can scale renewable infrastructure, fund public transport, or develop resilient urban systems. Ignoring finance risks leaving sustainability strategies as aspirational rhetoric. By contrast, integrating climate finance, green bonds, concessional lending, and public–private partnerships can “change the game” by making transitions feasible and scalable.
Global Dialogue
What lessons from your study can enrich global conversations about climate, urbanization, and sustainable growth beyond Africa?
The insights from these studies are not confined to Africa they enrich global discussions on climate, energy, and sustainable development. The Africa-wide findings highlight the crucial role of heterogeneity: global climate policy must move beyond universal prescriptions and instead accommodate diverse national contexts. The Benin case demonstrates that even small economies face challenges that mirror global dilemmas rising transport energy use, dependence on fossil fuels, and weak financial capacity making them valuable case studies for other developing regions. More broadly, both studies show that cities in the Global South can serve as testing grounds for climate resilience strategies, offering lessons that complement, rather than follow, the experiences of the Global North.
Your Vision
If you could share one big idea that captures the value added of your research, what would it be?
The central idea that emerges from my body of work is this: Africa’s transport and urban systems, when paired with strong financial development and renewable energy integration, can transform from drivers of vulnerability into engines of sustainable and inclusive growth. This vision shifts the narrative Africa is not merely catching up but is uniquely positioned to innovate new models of low-carbon development. By drawing lessons from both the Benin-specific transport study and the Africa-wide trade–energy–urbanization study, the research demonstrates that African cities and economies can lead in reimagining the relationship between growth, finance, and environmental sustainability.
Looking Ahead: A Sustainable Path for African Cities
Salwa Bajja’s research demonstrates how Africa’s transport and urban systems can become more than just engines of mobility — they can be transformed into drivers of sustainable and inclusive growth. By weaving together evidence on energy, trade, and urbanization, her work underscores that the future of African cities is not only about meeting today’s needs but about designing tomorrow’s solutions. At UM6P, this vision aligns with the university’s mission: to pioneer knowledge that addresses real-world challenges while shaping a greener, more resilient future for the continent.
Africa’s transport and urban systems, when paired with strong financial development and renewable energy integration, can transform from drivers of vulnerability into engines of sustainable and inclusive growth.” — Salwa Bajja
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