How used car exports to Africa could become the development opportunity of the decade

The Big Picture Crowdsource Innovation Used cars are often exported to lower income countries after 10-15 years in developed markets, meaning their emission levels tend to be higher. Air quality degradation is driven by old cars in Africa, home to 40% of global used vehicles, and 80% of these do not meet basic emissions standards. As we transition to electric vehicles, public-private collaboration is key to ensure this happens equitably in both the Global North and Global South. In areas where government budgets for public transport infrastructure and operations are limited, the ability to move people and goods depends on the availability of affordable vehicles. Motorized transport is thus a lifeline, providing access to health services, to education and work, and to new opportunities. While individual mobility is mostly covered with two- and three wheelers in large parts of low- and medium-income countries (LMICs), cars and vans, especially as taxis and other communal modes of transport, help offer mobility – and with it, social mobility. High-quality used cars imported into LMICs could be (and already are) therefore an opportunity for such countries. However, the costs are becoming ever more visible: carbon emissions and air pollutants are on the increase, […]

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