STEEP systems modelling for sustainable policy development: a case study of the transport system in Onitsha, Nigeria

This paper applies the STEEP systems modelling to the transport sector, using Onitsha, Nigeria as a case study. The increase in population due to rural-to-urban migration and economic growth has resulted in increased demand for transport in urban cities. The evolution of transportation has a correlation with economic development given that it connects people to their social and economic activities. Onitsha is a commercial city with the biggest market in West Africa with a population of 1.6 million people. Road transportation is the only mode of transportation in Onitsha, despite a large capacity in the waterways that are underutilised. As a result, the public transportation system is characterised by heavy congestion, environmental pollution, depilated infrastructures, and inadequate regulations and policies. These have a significant detrimental impact on the city's economy and call for transportation solutions that are readily available, quick, and inexpensive. The level of unsustainability challenges that Onitsha Transportation faces suggest that current government measures have not yielded intended result due to lack of adequate planning and understanding of the interacting systems. This paper argues that to better understand and plan for sustainability, the relationships and interactions of five interconnected systems must be analysed and modelled. These systems are the social, technology, economic, environmental and policy. Systems Thinking (ST) is then used to model the relationships for better understanding to help decision-makers develop policies that will ensure sustainability in the public transport sector.