Cycling for Everyone
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Dutch Cycling Embassy’s Participation in Sustainable Mobility Week Maputo

7 August 2024

During the Sustainable Mobility Week in Greater Maputo, the Dutch Cycling Embassy engaged in a variety of activities. These included meetings with political officials, organizing an ACTIVE training session, and attending the Feira Municipal de Transporte.

The primary purpose of their involvement was to conduct an ACTIVE training session in collaboration with the City of Maputo, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and experts from the Dutch Cycling Embassy, Lennie Siesling (Movares) and Benjamin Schaipp (Fietsmeister). This event marked the first ACTIVE training in the southern region of Africa.

ACTIVE, which stands for Alliance for Cycling and Walking Towards International Vitality and Empowerment, unites key stakeholders in active mobility, walking, and cycling. The initiative aims to train 10,000 active mobility experts worldwide over the next decade. It is spearheaded by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, with support from the Benelux.

Each ACTIVE training session is tailored to the specific needs of the city or region. Collaboration with local authorities, such as the City of Maputo, is crucial. The training covers various aspects that help communities become more cycle-friendly, focusing on integrated cycling policies based on hardware, software, and orgware.

Participants in the training included city officials working in mobility, particularly from Maputo and neighboring cities, architects, non-profit employees, and police officers. The diverse backgrounds of the participants enriched the discussions throughout the training. The training consisted of three modules: 1) Network Principles, 2) Cycling Culture and Bike Parking 3) Infrastructure Design. Each module consisted of a theoretical presentations and group work. The training concluded with presentations from the participants wherein the results of their groups work was presented as a future vision for the city. It was an honor to work together with the groups: Furious Bikes, Green Fighters and Longa Bike.

The training concluded with a social and informative screening of “Why We Cycle” at the Dutch Embassy in Maputo. This event brought together the local cycling community and the newly trained participants. The Dutch Embassy generously provided drinks, popcorn, and snacks. Following the screening, a lively Q&A session and discussion took place.

Additionally, the delegation visited the Feira Municipal de Transporte on August 3rd at the Conselho Municipal de Marracuene. Here, they exchanged ideas with various stakeholders active in the field of sustainable mobility and enjoyed cycling around on Mozambikes.

On the sidelines of the training, the delegation met with key officials, including Rasaque Manhique, the President of the City, Fernando Obed Uache, the Counselor for the Mobility Department Transport of the City and Irene Boane, the Director of Foreign Cooperation from Maputo City Council. These meetings facilitated valuable exchanges of thoughts and ideas.

The Dutch Cycling Embassy is grateful for the opportunity to participate in Sustainable Mobility Week. This event would not have been possible without the generous support of the City of Maputo and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. We look forward to continuing this fruitful collaboration and hope that the city continues to advance sustainable and active mobility initiatives, as political support is crucial for enabling change on the ground.

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Involved partners

Movares, FietsMeister, Ministerie IenW

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