Air pollution is a serious public health problem in many parts of the world, but it is becoming particularly pressing for African cities. Among the many causes of this situation, one is the result of the circulation of a globalised commodity: second-hand vehicles reformed from developed country markets. This research project aims to explain (i) the way in which the issue of technical, sanitary and environmental improvement of the used vehicle market has been taken up by African public authorities; (ii) the negotiations between actors to which these new regulatory constraints have given rise; (iii) the disruptions and recompositions that they have caused on the organisation of global and local markets, on the orientation of flows, and on the positions of actors in these sectors in Africa.
The research sites are in Accra, Dakar and Nairobi.