Lessons Learned and Way Forward

377. Transport infrastructure and services are critical to sustainable development in Africa. Effective mobility and timely access to goods and services requires a well-developed, safe, secure and affordable transport network. However, the transport system has not yet been developed even to the level of other developing countries in Asia and the rest of the world.

378. Lessons learned from ongoing initiatives have shown that potential exists for speeding up the implementation of commitments and the achievement of goals and targets. This, however, calls for the right set of measures to be undertaken in the area of policy, strategy, resource mobilization and capacity-building. The biggest challenge remains the translation of policies and strategies into concrete action in a timely manner. This therefore requires the timely provision of financial and other resources as well as efforts to strengthen and achieve good corporate and public governance.

More specific lessons learned, recommended policies and other necessary measures are presented under each of the major headings below.

National policies and subregional and regional agreements

379. African countries have to prove their commitment to improving the domestic investment environment by taking practical actions in the following areas;

a. Deepening policy reforms in the transport sector so as to attract private-sector financing;

b. Strengthening regulatory and enforcement mechanisms in order to create level playing fields for infrastructure investment and services; and

c. Improving coordination in the development and implementation of regional and subregional agreements on transport facilitation and air transport liberalization.

Human and institutional capacity-building

380. Efficient institutions which have appropriate mandates and highly motivated and skilled staff are key elements in the development of a safe, secure, affordable and environmentally- sound transport system.

381. To enhance the environment for improving and expanding transport infrastructure and services, the following measures need to be taken in the area of capacity-building;

a. To ensure that appropriate institutional frameworks are put in place, with separate regulatory and operational functions for all modes of transport;

b. To strengthen existing bodies for the planning, regulation and implementation of activities that will support the development of sustainable transport, or establish new such bodies where necessary;

c. To strengthen and expand national and regional centres of learning and specialized training;

d. To eliminate physical and non-physical barriers to the movement ol: goods and passengers at ports, border crossings and inland terminals, including cumbersome clearance procedures and road checks along the corridors serving landlocked countries, in order, inter alia, to prevent transport sector workers from being exposed to HIV/AIDS;

e. To develop and implement capacity-building programmes to upgrade the knowledge and skills of staff involved in policy formulation, planning and implementation, as well as those engaged in regulatory and enforcement functions; and

f. To raise public awareness and participation by key stakeholders in all phases of policymaking and implementation.

Transport and the environment

382. The development of sustainable transport which adequately meets the mobility and access needs of African countries, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions, has been demonstrated to be possible in Africa, albeit in a limited way.

383. Although not by design, Africa is a good example of the advantages of low levels of motorized transport from an environmental point of view, since Africa's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions and associated climate change impacts is correspondingly low.

384. Although Africa is not currently among the big polluters, if the continent continues along the path of business as usual, it will not only retard its own development but also significantly contribute to the global problem of climate change. Africa should therefore draw lessons from the countries that have significantly contributed to global warming by avoiding the path they followed to develop their fossil-fuel-dependent transport systems. Given the embryonic stage of African transport systems, the continent has a unique opportunity to develop low-carbon and environmentally-sound transport systems.

385. Many African countries have given more focus to promoting non-motorized transport as part of their strategies to provide improved mobility and access to markets, while at the same time reducing the negative impacts of transport on the environment

and human health. Cycling, for example, has increasingly become a desirable means of transport not only in Africa, but also in other developing and developed countries because of its beneficial impact on the environment as a zero-emission mode of transport.

386. Apart from mitigation measures based on a thorough EIA that should be incorporated in plans for the development of infrastructure, the following measures need to be taken to minimize carbon emissions and avoid environmental degradation;

a. Ensuring that projects pass through rigorous EIA processes before approval;

b. Establishing appropriate incentives to encourage the development and use of more efficient and cleaner modes of transport, including the use of energy-efficient modern vehicles, locomotives, vessels and aircraft;

c. Promoting the use of low-energy-consuming passenger and freight transport systems;

d. Removing obstacles and disincentives to the development of cleaner energy sources;

e. Developing properly planned infrastructure and upgrading existing infrastructure to acceptable standards;

f. Improving traffic management to reduce congestion and delays and their associated emissions;

g. Strengthening measures to minimize the number of vehicles in operation, particularly aging fleets and other transport equipment with high emissions;

h. Integrating transport infrastructure planning into land use planning, to ensure the sustainability of transport that satisfies accessibility and mobility needs while meeting environmental requirements;

i. Involving all stakeholders, including local authorities, ministries, airport authorities and representatives of residents in the neighbourhood of prospective airport locations, to have their say about land use and airport planning;

j. Taking into account ICAO's work on aviation and environmental protection when developing air transport and environmental policy;

k. Ensuring that waste arising during the construction of transport infrastructure and operations, including oil spills and scrap, is kept to a minimum; and 1. Encouraging reduction of travel through such mechanisms as the use of

teleconferencing and other electronic modes of message transfer, as a substitution for air or road travel to meetings, conferences, etc.

Energy efficiency and transport costs

387. Transport services in Africa are associated with high costs, attributable to a complex set of factors, including inadequate and poor infrastructure, an aging and

inefficient fleet, poor transport facilitation, limited competition and low traffic on some routes.

388. Experience shows that the availability of goods and services in close proximity to consumers minimizes the need for movement of passengers over long distances.

That is where land use planning can make important contributions. For example, it can limit urban sprawl, which is associated with the formation of a settlement pattern making use of the less energy-efficient transport modes, such as taxis and private vehicles.

389. Efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs in the transport sector can include:

a. Integrating transport planning with land use patterns with a view to minimizing transport demand;

b. Encouraging the development of good and more energy-efficient public transport systems;

c. Developing and utilizing energy-efficient modes and means of transport;

d. Improving the management of enterprises by upgrading the capacity of managerial and technical staff as well as streamlining operations and administrative functions;

e. Carrying out institutional reforms, including liberalization and privatization;

f. Improving and properly maintaining infrastructure, transport machinery and equipment;

g. Ensuring the full implementation of transport facilitation initiatives; and h. Promoting intra-modal and inter-modal transport competition to improve

efficiency.

Transport safety and security

390. The loss of human life and property caused by traffic accidents has assumed alarming proportions in all modes of transport in Africa, but more so in road transport.

Efforts are currently under way to put in place regulatory mechanisms and strengthen institutional capacity to improve safety in all modes of transport.

391. To enhance efforts by a number of African countries to improve transport safety through policy reforms and capacity-building, African governments, in collaboration with their development partners, have expressed their commitment to work together to stop the growing epidemic of deaths and injuries on African roads, aiming to reduce road traffic fatalities by half by 2015.

392. The WHO-coordinated Road Safety Campaign under way worldwide under the auspices of the United Nations has also contributed to improving awareness of the impact of road accidents on human life and the economy.

393. African countries need to build on existing initiatives aimed at improving safety in all modes of transport by taking the following measures:

a. Establishing or strengthening effective institutional frameworks to improve road safety;

b. Allocating adequate funds for safety programmes in line with the call made by the Commission for Global Road Safety for at least 10 per cent of total investment in road infrastructure to be earmarked for safety-related activities;

c. Ensuring compliance with safety and security regulations and standards established by international and regional bodies in all modes of transport, in particular ICAO with regard to air transport; and

d. Addressing maritime security problems in a holistic manner, particularly in relation to the escalation of maritime piracy in recent years, through an in-depth look at the root causes of piracy.

394. As a short-term measure to combat the recent escalation of piracy and armed robbery against ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia, the world's naval Powers, in close collaboration with transnational corporations, need to continue patrolling the waters in the area and ensure the safety and security of ships. States across the western Indian Ocean and in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea should contribute to the safety and security of their ships and cargo by complying with the code of conduct on the repression of piracy and armed robbery adopted in Djibouti under the auspices oflMO.

Transport information systems

395. Given the high intensity of use of information in the transport sector and the inadequacy of the necessary information in many African countries, IGT offers a powerful tool in accessing, processing and disseminating large volumes of information in the shortest time possible.

396. IGT can also help save time and energy by avoiding travel to participate in meetings and collect data, with the associated reduction of emissions from road vehicles, railways and aircraft. However, owing to the ubiquitous of financial and skills constraints, the transport sector in Africa has not adequately embraced IGT.

397. The transport sector in the region should take advantage of the possibilities offered by IGT by:

a. Developing policies that promote the increased use of ICT in all aspects of the transport system;

b. Building an adequate database of transport information; and

c. Developing strategies that can encourage the use of ICT (e.g. videoconferences and electronic information exchange mechanisms) as a substitute for trips and physical movements of goods.

Financial resources

398. Despite the noted efforts of African governments to allocate an average of up to 8 per cent of their GDP for infrastructure development, the amount is far below what is required to finance even the maintenance of the existing transport network and operations.

399. Following the policy reforms undertaken by many African countries in the past few years, private-sector participation in infrastructure development, though modest, is increasing. Important public-private partnership deals have been registered in many African countries in all modes of transport in the past 15 years. Involvement of the private sector in infrastructure development and operations, in addition to helping to ease public resource constraints, has the potential of enhancing the productivity and efficiency of infrastructure services. However, as only very few such deals, particularly in rail concessions, have achieved their objectives of improved services, enhanced efforts during the planning and implementation phases are required to make future arrangements successful.

400. Past experience has also proved that Africa has strong international development partners which are willing to provide significant technical and financial support to finance the continent's development plans, including in transport infrastructure.

401. In order to secure adequate finance for the development and maintenance of transport infrastructure, the following measures need to be taken:

a. Enhancing public financing by ensuring that an adequate share of GDP is allocated to the sector, either directly from the government budget or through government borrowings or guarantees;

b. Raising external resource mobilization capacity to take advantage of resources from multilateral and bilateral donors, as well as other innovative funding mechanisms, including those related to the global Clean Air Initiative;

c. Encouraging public-private partnerships in the construction and operation of transport infrastructure to complement public funding. This undoubtedly calls for improving the investment climate, including updating institutional and regulatory frameworks and eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic procedures and practices;

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Reducing funding requirements for rehabilitation and replacement of infrastructure and rolling stock by means of proper and timely maintenance.

Conclusion

402. Transport is among the key sectors that play crucial roles in the effort to achieve sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction, thereby bringing about sustainable development in Africa. In order for the transport sector to play its rightful role, it requires development in a coordinated manner with the ultimate aim of bringing about a reliable, efficient, safe and environmentally-sound system for moving passengers and goods.

403. Although the expansion of the African road network over the past years is encouraging, its density and geographical distribution still fall below those of developing countries in Asia. Other modes of transport, including rail, water and air transport, have not yet expanded to a level that satisfies the demand for domestic and international movements of goods and services.

404. On the other hand, despite the key role that transport plays in meeting the essential needs of mobility and access to goods and services, the negative impacts of transport on human health and the environment have given cause for concern, both at the global and the regional levels.

405. In pursuance of various international declarations, most importantly PFIA21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, which was adopted to give increased impetus to the implementation of Agenda 21, a number of steps have been taken to ensure that the transport sector in Africa makes effective contributions to sustainable development.

406. With regard to the development and promotion of an integrated approach to transport policy and partnerships at the national level, measures taken at the regional level include resolutions and action plans put in place by the African Union, as well as conferences of ministers responsible for the different modes of transport. Significant financial and technical support has also been obtained from a number of United Nations organizations, international and regional financial institutions, the European Union and bilateral donors.

407. Despite efforts and achievements so far in developing sustainable transport in Africa, formidable challenges remain, including: inappropriate national policies and limited implementation of national policies and regional agreements; limited financial resources, low network connectivity and inadequate skilled human resources;

inadequate databases and limited use of ICT; and high transport costs, poor transport safety and the negative impact of transport on the environment.

408. Ongoing initiatives have shown that the potential exists for speeding up the implementation of commitments and the achievement of goals and targets, provided that the right set of measures is taken in the area of policy, strategy, resource mobilization

and capacity-building. Sustainable transport development is also possible provided that policies and strategies are translated into action properly and in a timely manner, adequate resources are allocated, good corporate and public governance is in place and support from development partners is ensured.

409. To speed up the realization of agreed commitments, African countries need to take action in the following areas: implementing regional and subregional agreements on transport facilitation and air transport liberalization; institutional reform, including liberalization and privatization; promoting intra-modal and inter-modal transport competition to improve efficiency; strengthening regulatory mechanisms in the sector in order to create level playing fields for infrastructure investment and services;

establishing or strengthening institutional frameworks to manage traffic effectively and ensure safety; and ensuring compliance with safety and security regulations and standards.

410. Other required measures include enhancing public financing by ensuring that an adequate share of GDP is allocated for sustainable transport; improving land use planning to restrain road traffic and channel it properly; optimizing resource utilization by using computerized decision support systems; and ensuring that projects with possible negative environmental impacts pass through rigorous EIA processes before approval.

411. In order to ensure an environmentally-sound and energy efficient sector, governments need to establish appropriate incentives to encourage the development and use of more efficient and cleaner modes of transport. This includes fostering the use of energy-efficient modern vehicles, locomotives, vessels and aircraft; promoting the use of low-energy-consuming public transport systems; removing obstacles and disincentives to the development of cleaner energy sources; strengthening measures to minimize the number of vehicles in operation, particularly aging fleets and other transport equipment with high emissions; and addressing the mobility and accessibility needs of the rural population through appropriate transport technology, including non-motorized technologies and cleaner motorized transport systems.

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Dans le document African review report on transport (Page 87-100)