Distr.i LIMITED
DEC/TRANSC0M/IA/1987/4 13 February 1987
Original: ENGLISH
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA
Tenth Meeting of the Inter-Agency Co-ordination Committee (IACC)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 6-9 March 1987
ECA/WORLD BANK/UNDP PROJECT ON SUB-SAHARA TRANSPORT PROGRAMME (SSATP)
DEC/TRANSCOM/IA/1987/4
ECA/WORLD BANK/UNDP PROJECT ON SUB-SAHARA TRANSPORT PROGRAMME (SSATP)
I. INTRODUCTION
The World Bank in collaboration with ECA and with support from UNDP, is embarking on a major review of transport policy in sub-Saharan Africa. The programme and the terms of reference for the review have already been designed.
It is intended not simply to provide policy advice, but to improve policy-making process in transportation for the future. The origin of the programme is based on the need to respond to concerns raised in the ECA review of the first phase of UNTACDA, and concerns by other regional and national organizations involved in transport development in Africa, and to complement related studies and programmes by these organi zations. The origin of the programme, therefore, sts with the following issues which are a concern with structural adjustment programmes everywhere, but of relevance to sub-Saharan Africa!
- Liberalization of agriculture, and trade;
- Role of the State both as entrepreneur and as a regulator?
- Fiscal constraints, entailing new emphasis on cost recovery, maintenance, and allocating new investment funds; and
- Renewed focus on institutional development and training.
These issues have been discussed extensively within the World Bank and a two-year programme of policy work on transport in sub-Saharan Africa has evolved out of the process of discussions. The SSATP programme, therefore, has four components as follows;
(a) A survey of the state of transportation in sub-Saharan African countries, based largely on existing data;
(b) A series of workshops, with appropriate background studies, designed to encourage exchange among African policy-makers and operational managers on policy issues and the lessons to be learned from recent successful reform strategies;
(c) A set of research studies, to increase knowledge in areas where the basis for clear policy recommendations, is not yet established;
(d) An institutional/human resource development programme.
These components were selected and designed bearing in mind three main principles: (i) that they should complement but not duplicate work carried out elsewhere; (ii) that since transport is more than a service to other sectors of the economy a multidisciplinary perspective would be essential;
and (iii) that the programme should be implemented in full collaboration with
relevant international, regional and donor organizations.DEC/TRANSCOM/ I//1987/4 Page 2
II. PROGRAMME CONTENT (a) Survey component
The survey component is designed to produce a report on the state of transport in sub-Saharan Africa - describing the current situation, identifying trends, and pointing out problem areas which warrant special attention from governments and the international community. At the same time, its preparation will help governments improve their own data collection procedures, and serve as a prototype for future periodic reassessments. The main areas to be covered
are:
- Extent and state of fixed infrastructure;
- Extent and condition of vehicles/rolling stock;
- Size and qualification of labour force;
- Current traffic flows and trends for all modes;
- Structure of industry in various modes; and
- Transport investment and recurrent expenditures in recent years including financial results, costs and tariffs, and regulatory framework.
(b) Aa series^ of. transport policy workshops
A series of six to eight workshops will be conducted to encourage discussions and exchange of ideas among African policy-makers. Six workshop topics have been agreed upon as follows;
- Development of local construction industries;
- Road maintenance management;
- Port and shipping management;
- Improvement of railway efficiency;
- Development of civil aviation; and
- Management of government transport enterprises.
In addition, at least one, and possibly two or three more workshops will be arranged, to be selected from the following list:
- Low volume roads;
- Inter-modal transport development;
DEC/TRANSCOM/IA/1987/4 Page 3
- Facilitation of international transport;
* - Constraints of intra-African trade?
- Planning transport for emergencies (c) Research studies
After an extensive review, the following four areas were selected as requiring research in greater depth than the workshop topics suggested above:
- Transport and agricultural development;
- Transport and taxation;
<*"r - Trucking costs;
- Transport and international trade.
Research would cover all modes and a sample of countries. It would investigate precedents and possibilities for joint economic action by land locked and transit countries, and be conducted in close consultation with the authorities and industries in a sample of sub-Saharan countries. It would build on the work and experience in developing transit trade of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Inter-State Facilitation Commission established by the Governing Council of the Trans-East African Highway Authority, and UNCTAD.
The research will beundertaken in collaboration with qualified institutions or individuals in the countries where empirical work is to be carried out, and with appropriate regional and subregional organizations. The research design incorporates a pilot phase in each case, to assure that a reassessment or reorientation of the research is possible if the initial field investigations
unexpected difficulties.
(d) Institutional and human resources ^ey_ej.ppment
The human resources component will include a programme of investigative work, which will be linked to pilot programmes to test the feasibility of new approaches to manpower planning, training, and the improvement in the technique and systems of management, taking into account local customs, practices and relationships at the institutional level.
III. PROGRESS OF IMPLEMENTATION
Proposals on the four components of the programme have been finalised during the seven months' preparatory assistance stage of the project (August 1986 to February 1987). The proposals have been reviewed by the programme's International Advisory Committee and are now being finalised in the project document format for submission to UNDP.
DEC/TRANSCOM/IA/1987/4 Page 4
IV. PROGRAMME FINANCING
The cost of the total programme is expected to reach close to US$5 million.
UNDP has earmarked US$2 million for implementation of the programme and has financed the preparatory assistance stage to the tune of US$300,000. The balance of US$3 million for implementation of the full programme is to be raised from bilateral funds, and given various countries1 budget cycles it will be several months before the financing picture will be completely clear. In the meantime the programme is being structured in such a way that it will be implemented up to whatever level of funds is formally committed. The full programme is expected to get underway in the second quarter of 1987 and be completed by the end of 1988.
