Houd Kanazoe

MIASA Project: Exploring energy use in urban transportation: taxi drivers stepping on the gas in Ghana and Burkina Faso

The use of gas as a fuel for public transport is a growing practice in many African cities. While the limited literature on the subject explains the phenomenon in terms of affordability, there is still much to be learned, especially when it comes to moving beyond the geographical and economic approaches to of  transport and mobility. Thus, drawing on the more or less recent postcolonial perspectives calling for new paradigms of mobility, and based on exploratory research in Ghana (Accra) and Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso), our approach aims to take a closer look at the phenomenon by analysing it from the point of view of the actors, i.e. taxi drivers and passengers, but also mechanics or administrators. This project investigates the spatial but also social and political implications of gas use in two West African countries with different cultures, legislation and languages. The combination of these approaches is relevant to contribute on the one hand to a less Western perspective and on the other hand to a South-South comparison essential for understanding urban practices in Africa and beyond.