Capacity Development Manual for Transport Institutions

19/01/2026

–

30/11/2026

Themes

Capacity Development, Strategy, Planning & Delivery

Country

Africa, Asia

Client

The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)

The Capacity Development Manual for Transport Institutions was developed to support transport institutions, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), in institutionally embedding capacity development processes.

Building on the findings of the 2024 High Volume Transport Applied Research (HVT) study, (Capacity Building in Sustainable Urban Mobility for Low-Income Countries: Research on Demand and Success Factors for Future Supply), the manual responds to persistent capacity gaps of transport institutions on the individual, organisational and societal levels. These gaps constrain the ability of transport institutions to deliver and sustain transformative, climate-aligned mobility initiatives. Specifically, the HVT research found that capacity development is often fragmented, short-term and focused on specific capacity development formats such as training, with insufficient attention to institutional systems and long-term learning.

The Capacity Development Manual for Transport Institutions therefore translates global best practice into practical frameworks, tools and actionable steps to address these challenges. Five transport authorities across Africa and South Asia reviewed and pilot tested the manual, helping ensure its relevance to institutional needs and working contexts.

The manual is primarily intended for national, regional and local transport institutions, including transport authorities and operators. It also serves as a reference for international development agencies, training providers and other organisations supporting capacity development in the transport and mobility sector.

The manual is currently available in both English & French.

What the manual covers:

A 3-phased cyclical approach

A structured capacity development cycle comprising three phases.

Phase 01: Plan (Steps 1–7) identifies institutional challenges and capacity gaps through a structured capacity needs assessment and prioritising (learning) objectives .

Phase 02: Design & Implement (Steps 8–12) translates the identified capacity needs into action by selecting suitable capacity development formats, providers and partners, and defining implementation arrangements, responsibilities and budgets.

Phase 03: Monitor & Evaluate (Step 13) tracks the progress of the capacity development activity against the pre-identified indicators, assesses outcomes and documents lessons learnt to inform future capacity development activities.

13 clear, actionable steps

Each phase of the suggested capacity development cycle is organised into a sequence of steps, guiding transport institutions through a capacity needs assessment, then the design and/or selection of a capacity development activity and implementation, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The institutions can follow the full process or enter at the stage most relevant to their current needs.

15 capacity development formats

The manual provides an overview of different capacity development formats ranging from short-term ones including webinars, workshops, conferences and study tours to long-term formats including secondments, establishing joint centres or formal education. Typical strengths and limitations of each format is outlined to support informed decision-making.

A toolbox of 13 practical tools

The manual provides a toolbox of 13 tools and blank templates to support planning, implementation and evaluation. These include:

1. SWOT analysis
2. Workplan & Gantt chart
3. RACI matrix
4. Task & performance analysis
5. Problem tree analysis
6. Eisenhower matrix
7. Assessment framework for capacity development activities
8. Scenario building
9. Theory of Change
10. Operational plan
11. RAID matrix (risk matrix)
12. Logical framework (Logframe)
13. Progress report

Both blank templates (including digital formats) and filled in templates using an illustrative example are provided.

Pilot test

The manual was reviewed by five transport institutions including the Urban Mobility Authority of Greater Abidjan (AMUGA) in Côte d’Ivoire, the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE) in Ghana, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) in Uganda, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) in Nigeria, and TransPeshawar in Pakistan.

An illustrative example throughout

An illustrative example of a fictional transport authority on the national level preparing to launch a Bus Rapid Transit corridor using an electric fleet (e-BRT) demonstrates how the manual’s steps and tools can be applied in practice. This fictional example was chosen, as it reflects a common situation for many transport institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).