Having graduated from the University of Nairobi (UoN) in December 2017, I was recommended by the School of Economics as a candidate for the World Bank internship that is a part of the partnership between UoN and the World Bank that aims to build capacity for young African graduates with an aim of promoting sustainable development and poverty reduction in African countries.

After a rigorous selection process, I was selected to come to Washington DC, USA in September 2018 as a research consultant for the World Bank’s Global Transport Practice to work with the Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) initiative. Hosted by the World Bank, SuM4All is a global partnership platform of over 50 leading actors in the transport and mobility space with a shared vision to transform the future of mobility across all modes of transport.

My experience so far has been revolutionary. I have been able to look at transport through a different lens that made me realize the inadequacies of the global mobility system in terms of universal access, efficiency, safety and environmental footprint across all modes of transport. Much of my work is channeled towards research and advocating mobility solutions for the said inadequacies of the system- with a focus on Africa.

Some of the publications that I have contributed to thus far are: this article on how three countries have adopted three different approaches to achieving green mobility, this review of international agreements, conventions and other instruments to achieve sustainable mobility and the soon-to-be launched Global Roadmap of Action toward sustainable mobility (GRA).

Gurpreet Singh Sehmi- Consultant, SuM4All Sectretariat