- Walk21 Kigali International Conference

Action for Walking – The Affordable and Essential Steps to Improve Walkability

16-19 October 2023, Kigali, Rwanda

Walk21 Kigali Memories

The 23rd International Walk21 Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities was hosted by the University of Rwanda, in partnership with the City of Kigali, UNEP and Walk21 Foundation between 16 and 19 October, 2023.

The University of Rwanda, in partnership with the City of Kigali, UNEP and Walk21 Foundation, were proud to host Walk21 Kigali, the first Walk21 conference on the African continent.

Together with experts from across Africa and around the globe, we shared insights and expertise on how to develop and implement walking policies and programmes that deliver walkable communities and safer streets, broader community participation and enhance the value of walking.

We invited politicians, engineers, campaigners, academics and planners to share their experience and be part of the discussions and activities at Walk21 Kigali.

The University of Rwanda, in partnership with the City of Kigali and UNEP, is proud to host Walk21 Kigali in 2023, the first Walk21 conference on the African continent.

We also discussed the affordable actions that are transforming the urban paradigm; helping deliver on safety, equity and climate goals and are attracting investment for urban development that supports people walking.

Thank you for joining us as we explored what makes a successful national policy, local action or transformative project for walking.

More info

Themes

The overarching theme of the conference was ‘Action for Walking – Affordable, Essential Steps to Improve Walkability’.

Improving road safety for people walking

The University of Rwanda is developing a centre of excellence in transport and logistics for conducting research

Planning for walking in low-income neighbourhoods

More than 60% of the population in Africa live in low-income

Building walking policy actions to reach the SDGs and climate goals

Walking is being talked up as an affordable, quick, and reliable solution

Financing and governance models for supporting walking infrastructure

Recent research in partnership with development banks has highlighted an opportunity

Partners

City of Kigali, the University of Rwanda, UNEP, and Walk21 Foundation.

The University of Rwanda worked in partnership with the Walk21 Foundation as the host partner and a key connection to the knowledge and skills in science, technology and engineering that support better walking environments and traffic management. The staff team, led by Dr. Alphonse Nkurunziza, has a global reputation as leaders of translating the required knowledge into action to benefit the everyday life of citizens and this will underpin the conference programme.

Registration Closed

We are dedicated to ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in our conference, and as part of our commitment, we made the decision to offer the registration completely free of charge. This approach enabled us to create an environment that fostered diversity and encouraged the participation of a wider range of people from the region.

Questions

Do you have questions about the conference or would you like to discuss your idea for the Call for Contributions with the organisers? Don’t hesitate to contact the organisers at kigali@walk21.com or send us a message using our contact form.