MOBIDOC: Portrait of Melchior C.J. KADJA, PhD student committed to the development of African urban areas

Melchior C.J. KADJA is a doctoral student in Sustainable Urban Development, specialising in Transport, Mobility and Urban Economics, at the Regional Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Cities in Africa (CERVIDA-DOUNEDON) at the University of Lomé. A recognised specialist in urban development, he has gained solid experience in several West African countries, combining field expertise and strategic research.

Co-founder and Director for West Africa of the African Mobility Research Hub (AMRH), he embodies a new generation of researchers committed to addressing the challenges of sustainable mobility on the continent. Through AMRH, he aspires to stimulate research, innovation and cooperation between public, private and academic actors around African transport systems.

His doctoral work focuses on an area that has been little explored in scientific literature: mobility in peri-urban areas, particularly in Benin. He conducted his research in the districts of Hêvié, Ouèdo and Togba, in the commune of Abomey-Calavi, highlighting the central role of active modes of transport (mainly walking). These low-impact modes of transport are now at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals and will be essential during the United Nations Decade of Transport (2026-2035).

As part of the MOBIDOC programme, set up by RéMUD with the support of Codatu, Melchior is currently participating in an international mobility programme in Dakar. This stay allows him to discover one of the most diverse transport systems in West Africa, combining formal and informal services. This immersion provides a valuable comparative basis for anticipating solutions adapted to the Beninese context, while feeding into his methodological thinking. Previously, Melchior had the opportunity to participate in the Summer School organised by RéMUD in Dakar in 2022, which allowed him to meet other young researchers, experts and teacher-researchers in the field of urban mobility.

The programme’s contributions are not limited to observation. Melchior actively exchanges ideas with renowned researchers, as well as with Senegalese doctoral students working on similar topics. These dialogues enrich his vision and allow him to take a fresh look at his own work.

After completing his thesis, Melchior hopes to continue to be an agent of change, combining rigorous research with the levers of professional practice. For him, sustainable and inclusive mobility in Africa can only emerge through the convergence of academic knowledge and concrete action in the field.

Thanks to MOBIDOC, he leaves with a solid network, a broader vision and a clear ambition to share, collaborate and publish in order to place his research in an international context.