World Bulletin/News Desk

African transport and infrastructure ministers will converge on Nairobi this week for a major meeting on sustainable transport and air pollution reduction. 

"This is going to be the first ever ministerial conference on sustainable transport in Africa," Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure Michael Kamau told Anadolu Agency.

The ministerial and experts conference will be held at the U.N. headquarters in Nairobi between October 28 and 30.

"We expect at least 50 African ministers to be in attendance," Kamau said.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim is also expected to attend the three-day conference. 

"[Participants] will be discussing how to integrate sustainable transport in the development of African countries and their regions," said Kamau.

"We will be looking at improving our transport systems and most important reduction of air pollution," he added.

African countries will share policies and success stories in the transport system to be adopted by others.

"The transition of African countries into being industrialized or middle-income level largely depends on how the continent will develop its infrastructure," said Kamau. "That is how important this conference is."

The conference is part of the larger "Africa Sustainable Transport Forum" recently launched by the World Bank, the U.N.-Habitat program and the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) to "provide a platform for high-level attention and policy dialogue on access to environmentally sustainable transport in Africa."