Development of the West African road network

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. UNITED NATIONS

ECONOMIC

AND

SOCIAL COUNCIL

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA

7? S __.

Diatr.

LIMITED

E!CN.14/TRANS!WP.2 10 Ootober 1961 ENGLISH

Originals FRENCH

West African Transport Conferenoe MonroVia, 23 - 27 Ootober 1961

DOCUMENTS OFFICE

NO TO BE TAKEN OUT

DBVELOPMENT OF THE WEST AFRICAN ROAD NETWORK

(Working paper prepared by the Seoretariat)

Table of Contents

1. Introduotion

2. General oonsiderations 3. Speoific ~ue8tionB

4. Programme of future consultations

61-1337

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2/CN.14/~RANS/WP.2

1. INTRODUCTION

1. "At its third session, the _~conomic Commission ftJr Africa decided, by its"~esolution 32 _~IrI), to convene a West African Transport _"Con~

"ference, as a first step towards which there would be

a

meeting in 1961 of Ministers of Ttansport and/or Uorlcs or of the appropriate inter- State bodies to d:iscu'ss:

(a) the general lines on which the sub-regional transport network should be developed;

(b) the:~ossibilityof the stcndardization of vehicle 1egislati~n

and signalization for traffic using the sUb-regional transport

~ " . "

network. "

2. The Secretari~t has synthesized existing data on the modernization and standardization of the hig'hway code "nd road signs and signals in documents E!ClT.14!1l4-EjCN.14/TRANS/Ol (and Add. 1) and :O/CN.14/115- E!CN.14!TRl\NS!02, at thesam!l time briefly outlining for the Confellence a possible approach to the problem mentioned in sub-paragraph (b)" of the resolution.

3. As regards the que st Lon of developing communications in "est Africa, the delegations attendi1'1Rt);le Commission' s ~hirdsession were on the

whole satisfied" with the Lnf.or-ma.t Lon on transport in Uest Afri"ca" assem- bled i"nthe" study (E/CN.14!63 and Add." 1), .and thought that th.e latter

m~g'ht serve as:a sound basis for action by governments under sub-paragraph (b) of .resolution 32 (III).Y The ,Seor.etariat has, however,

Y

Reportdf the Commission (.Jj3452!Rev.l), page 34.

fl _Id~?j:

paragraphs 224 and 228.

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E/CN.14/TRANS/WP.2 Page 2.

synthesized the additional data it had collected, although unable for want of time to check their accuracy with national ,administrations.

While confining our attention to road transport in Vlest '.I\.frica, we have tried not to lose sight of the importance of other mod~s 9f transport ,or of the, possible bearing of ,the ,solution of road probl~ms in the sub-region on the creation of a oo-ordinated oontinenta1 road network covering all Africa.

2. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

4. The urgent need of a network of all-weather roads in West Africa arises from the fact that improved transport is essential to both the expansion of intra-African trade and economic development in the sub- region. Hence the concerted action the Commission advocates in this' field is far from being of merely symbolic value; it must meeteconomio

.~, .

needs and help to remove the defects of the existing inf'rastruetureand to create a sub-regional transport system consistent' _wi~h modern 'requirements. What is needed in joint action against want and hardship is

energetic innovation and a real practical tool, a devicebf unimaginable power to speed uP economic and social progress.

5.

Roads, which for transport are as economical as they are flexibFe, will bring progress to remote areas and produce rapid expansion in'ag- riculture and industry. All-weather sub-regional roads will enable industries to operate, not only at length un1mpededby the limited _na~

ture 'of the national market, but with the markets 01 neighbouring oountries at their disposal. With this sort of network, efforts to increase and di,-ers,ify export s )'1ill be Surer of, aucces a, since products from distant provinces and countries without a sea-coast will reaoh the sea by road. There Will, of course, be no question of opening up'new communications until there is traffic ready to use them. Then they should foster production and trade, not to mention cultural exc~anges.

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suoh,- winter E/CN.l4/TRANS/WP.2 Page 3.

6. Precise data are lacking regarding the effect of long-distanoe road.transport on trade and production in the sub-region; road building

. . ^- ^. ^'.

and.the motorization of road transport have nevertheless made rapid

strides over the last five years within the framework of economio development in West Africa. This trend is attributable to the share of publio development expenditure devoted sinoe 1946 to roads and anoillary works.

With, due regl!.rd to national requirements and road systems, an endeavour has been made both to plan new routes and to develop and maintain existing roads. Among results obtained may be mentioned reduoed transport oosts, the introduotion of new road-building teohniques adapted to the sUb-regionls speoial olimatio, topographioal and geologioal requirements, and the interest developed in international roads.

lI

7. Our analysis of' road transport trends in "Transport and Eoonomio Development in West Africa'# shows that the ideaofsystematioally oonsidering the oreation of a sub-regional network is but the fruit of earlier arrangements or consultations that, although international, were still partial in nature. As a result of the precedent oreated and of the oonsequent co-operation, whioh put an end to the protraated isola- tion of various countries and territories and reflected some degree

~f..re~ona~ solidarity ,there are already several roads and traoks open to long-distanoe traffio lipking different oountries. A distino~ion

ehould therefore blil ..made .between, on the one hand, the Qonneotin~p

of the national networks of several oountries of the sub-region /IJld,._. _t _{_} _{' ,.}

on the. other, the linking of two adjaoant oountries•

.8. Examples 'ofthe first oategory are the network links between Senegal - Mali - Upper Volta - Niger - Chad; Ghana'· Togo - Dab~~ey - Nigeria; and Cameroun - Gabon - Chad - Central Afrioan ttepublio.

jJ

An idea of the interest of several West African oountries. in questions may'be obtained from "Road International", No. 35,

1959-60. .'

Y

E/ON .14/63, paragraphs 170-209.

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.14/'rlWT's/wp. 2

Page 4.

EXamples' of bilatera:ll,inks are Senegal '- Gambia:, Ivory Coast Volta, Niger -'Oha'd etc •• , The 'routes that emerge from these

:: merrt s. which are 13tilJ."i>roceeding, are roughly as follows:

Upper' develop-

! -'."'-

Dakar ' -

Conakry"< ,Ball\akcJ;-: ^Bobo Dj,oulasso - Niamey-, Zinder ' Niamey' - Kano

-', Fort-,LaIily'" Adre -, (Khartoum) (ii)

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1. We'st - East

ei)

,

..^;

Ac~ra .::;' Lome - Cotonou

...^: '.-;.r:

(iii) Takoraa1

, ,. ' ^"

',- Bangui

":",. ¥:.J

(iv) Libreville

. -,.!

Pointe-Noire

Lagos

Brazzaville

Yaounde

'11··

2. South - North

(i) Abidjan - B090 _Dio~lass~ ,- (Timbuotoo) (ii) Aocra -_, _{• C} _,_J_,.r_:~ _{: "}Oua~adougou_.- _~,._'._~

(iii) Lome &Cotonou _~ Niamey

, :,.' . '~".1 ' . . 'I.. '!.':!

, (iv ) Lagos - ,Kano -; Zinder_.. _,

..' ^" '. : ' '.

,(v) Douala - Yaounde -;,Fort-;~amy.

'9.:.' From the point of view of the chief objectives pursued ... industrial- ization, 'replaoement 'of imports 'by Iocal"products, divarsifioat:ion of exports,' .i.a.nd the development of transit and intra-regional trade":' the routelll we have, ,just 'outlined' seem tofaH into avery ir1ter~fsting'

pattern based on the transveTsal across the middle of the ,su~region,"

with its extremities at Dakar and Conakry in the west and at ,~ort-Lamy

it:. tl;l~, east, and t~e coastal road along the Bight of B(ln~, whiCjh 1,s ' prolonged westward by the trans-Gambian road to ,Dakar and eastward

.

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Bangui. I t is expected that these tliO main systems will "be linked,by"

fee:der roe.dsfrollneast ,to west acroa s the sub-region, and also connected

tii' \he

^erl'l'9me w~~t'to'th~'north,and in the east to'the so,,:th, of' the Continent.

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E/CN.14/TRANS/WP.2 Page

5.

3. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

10... .One way o.f approaohing the question of the proposed sub-regional road networ~.wouldbe, to make a joint study of ite oomponent routes.

It would.be comparatively easy to list those that should be inoluded, especially if the.re wa,sno i!lllllediate need to show the degree.of prior-

i~y to beaooorde~.totheir completion. It might, however, be more

~ffioult to. divide them into two groups: those to be completed in

->.'. '..:.. ", :.. ,

the near future and those to be provided later; for, before the main routes are deoided upon, a rational seleotion must bs made and a

··comparati~e stUdy'undert~en

of the alternatives available under national programmes. Moreover, it will not be easy to la~ down an order .of 'pft6;ity for international linf~; but, generally speaking, the rulee

applied nationally are equally applioable the~e~ In other words, the aiIIis:muet be to link produotion oentres to consumption

~entres

^that

ar~otherwise

poorly served; to link sections

al~ea.dy ha,;.iri~'their

^own

:r~~der sy~tems :~~'. the main roads must communioate with the eccnoat.o oentres near which they pass; and to avoid neglecting existing main roads that lack only short sections or have only slight shortoomings.

ll.~~vertheless,even in an i~i~ial study of a sub-regiona* road network., it will not be sufficient to draw up a list or 11s1(13:of the.·

••~ " t., .

routes ,that will compose it. It would be worth while, in the case

at

lea,st.9f what are clearly: ,pr.iority route.s and those on ,Which ·agreement i:'l. eaElY;:•. t.o try to define the highways these routes will 'aotually use.

This would give an opportunity for initialPraotical investigations,_. _{. < .} _' _. _• _. _{. ,} _' _. beginning .with, a stock-taking .of_{. ' .} _- _{. '} :i<l,l.e' , . . . 'present state of the. highways, and' . ' . .

followed Qy c;0J?,sideration :of, actiop required, to open them, where·

necessary, to international traffio, at any rate ,temporarily. But from the point of view of teohnioal planning present progress. in .oon~

structiomil:,works must also be looked. iritG'.' Th'e period of improve-

me,nt ana:

meier~?1J"ildil\~

of traoks seems now to "beoverin all oountriee.

12. A start has recently been made, after detailed study, on the building of roads to wall-definec technical speoifioations and standards.

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Page 6.

BUt

ⁱⁿ ^the case of roads intended to link a number of ~buritfies-this');

as~urance does 'notgo far enough, and agreement is essential

on

^Un^i-

form specifications a~d standards that'will ensure-reliable and

ef-

£1oientinternational ·transport. Objectives might be to standardize' . geometi:'i~al . characteristics and to sp~cl.fy maximumpermissible weights

. .

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and·d.imensions for vehicles autho"rized to travel on international high-

,.~.

ways.

l~. ~imultan~o~~lywith.the choice of international highways, a :~ta~t

might be made on the collection of data regarding the construction

• . , " ' . • ' J , ' . -,

metha~s and ~peOifioation8 and standards u$ed in:thevar~ous c~~~~+~~.

Thj,s woul.d ultimately result in a co-ordinated road building or r~

:~'t\ - , " ' ..." .- . . . . . . ~. . . . . ' .

buLLd.Lng plan designed to meet internl;l-tional traffic _.requirements," where-

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~,fter:"9Uildi,ng or reb~ildingworks would be carried out in accordance.

with cha:;,acteJ;'i~.~ics.j~intly agreed among all .participating.coun"j;r~e,,!.

c , • ~ ~ , • ' . . •• ._'. :

Whi~~ .these act~vit,~es,werein :progress, at terrt Lon, might be giv~n to, .

th~ .

^' ^needs ^of

an~ii.~~ry

^.^servioes^,

(fi~ling ~ta1;io~s ~:\.

^'^." ^. th repair-shops, '.^. road emergency posts, frontier crossing facilities etc.). A basis for such

a'

studY :oQuld probably be found Ln the results 'alrJ'ady obtad.nad "

thrSUgh coii~boration^and cortsultatiohsb~tweenthe Public Works Depart- mJrits'of vario~s West African countries, among

known

_re~ults being th~

~d.opliion

b{Directors of Public Works

~t

thei.r' per1bdioal meetinga2!' .

or'

oertain 'Uniform buildlng standards ~nd geometrical oharacterisitics- in'kaepirtg':with"the suo-region's 'needs. It may be 'added that the' 'questioriof'''':internation~lhighways will be taken' up at th'e next meeting;

the linxirtg tip of various roads at the frontiers of sever-aI countries'

" '

is also

on

the agenda..

- ; r - - - . . . ; . . , - " ;

3J

T.heaemeetings:·are held under; the auspices, of 'the Commission 'for·

Technical Co-operation in Africa South of the ,Sahara (CCTA). The XVIth ~est:AfricanPublio Works Conference will beheld at Monrovia from 22 to 26 January 1962•

.^{' :} ^~' , ' '.~ . . . ' .

-~. ^" ^I>

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E/CN.14/TRANS/WP.2 Page

7.

14. Other questions that must be oonsidered in due oourse are the carrying out and the financing cif the works involved; It will be necessary to compute the technical and finanoial resources required and to' reach agreement on the means, methods and prooedures to be used' in meeting needs under the programme. Here it would be worth while to try to take advantage of recent changes in the political structure of the

su~region, sci~ntific

progress in road teohniques, the existenoe of

va~'i;us iriter~aticinal

financing instittitions

con~~rned

with economic development in Africa etc ••

15., The creation of a ,re~ional network would of course be oonsidered in the oontex of national_. ~oad-buildingprogrammes. Nor must it be,

' - . .'. ^{. ,}^- . . - . ^.'"~ "

forgotten that the project will run at all times parallel tOll, whpje

':.. ".

series of other urgent practical projects in other sectors of sub- regional economic activity,~hich ~ill likewise ,demand experienoed specialists, qualified staff (technioians and masters-of-works) and publio or private oapital.

16~, ,In view of the importance of the West,Ai'ri,oan road ,network f~r,

the developlj\en1;. of ,a pan,..African tl'ansport system, arrangements must be made"at everystagEl of the operation for c~msultationswith adjaoent

SUb-regions. A variety of projections, depen4.t~gon the form and range

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of the West African international network of roads and tracks, will reaoh out to the rest of the Continent, together with the appropriate

. , :. . . " " ,: ...1-,-, . '. .

feeder systems. :aut these projections and links may'hot'suit the needs of one or other adjacent sub-region or of the Continent asa whole for transitor,aoeess roads to the west._._. Also foreseeable at ,this present_.- .

stage are problems of adjustm~nt as regards,tr~n,sport,construction and equipment techniques, depending on the common needs of the different sub-regions. It ;rouid be a very gratifying ouboome if these

oonsultations were to result in co-ordination and harmonization of projects and aotivities, as well as exchanges and continuous collabor- ation in technological research and transport organization.

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Se: '." .- '.' ' . '

17. In conclusion, th0 c~eation of an intqrnational road network in

t<i ~,c-.:::·.. ,-'~' _ , : : ' J . "

West Af~ica might perhaps well .provide the aotual model for projects

;_-!'F:/:;rt:)':r '~c-~-vr '."" : ' , " .:: ',. .. .".,_ ;.". ,,', ..' -" ,.-:- ",~)::",

meriting broad international co~o~erationfor their accomplishment.

,. ;'. r: --: .'. .; -, .;'.: .. " ",- ," ' . . " . j '

A stuqy 9f the prqblerns to .be solved shows how important it is from _th~

" , ;:; " . J. _ .- ^j ~^, ^- ^,r-, '. ,f ,f

outset. to avoid lea,\ing .weak links in tho network chain if the >-Iork is to be co~pleted in ti~e. There must foreseeab~yarise cases of oostly

....; ,- , . " . . "!.~,,",. ' , \ " ' , • ,r~_

rQad-bupd~l'\g llroj.ec.~,sreqtl,ired ,in countrie.sthat c,\ljnot af,ford them

• . . ' . __, , " , .,-. l." . ' . ' . . . . . " " _. " _ " , ' ,' , . "

or of schemes justified by the needG of int~rnaticnalrathorthan .

! ' _ ' " ,'1' ,

national trade. Such new problems 1fill demand n sr solutions; but, as wtl:s"'sta.te'd earHer;what i,i needediserterg6t'io innov2.'tion

and

^joint·

, . ,:,: ; " ',', _ . . ' -'. J-;" -, , . ' . . ' ~. .-r' -, .., .. ':- ;

machinery to help marry countries to" adl'tieve uninterrupi;ed g·cne':tal e6o-' nomio <J:"3v~18p;nent~ ^{i. •} ^',0 ",''';

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To obtain some idea of the problems that ,Hill arise,from the 8el-

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18.

ection of roads for the sub-regional net1/ork, as far as concerns participating'cciililt'rf5satt'g thdsub-region in gan~rAl,;certain ieri~ra:i ^basic dati' ':'stit'istioal;"techrtical 'aniCeconomic'- ~ho\ild bec6i'1eci~d:"£nd itfi<£i\.~fuGdtJmaderoiiheii exchange. Belew are given a·fel./ IlcaO'1ngs'"

rifi8ii:-

Hli'i'Crl suohdata niight be cla:ssifn,ll, ; . '" -- ·.t' ..

XL;: '

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'. (i) Administr~tive and _~~otional classification;

" 0.." ~

, -.:,

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bUdi~tf 'construction,' maintenarl6&;"

Anrbidl;hii;lmays Aci.niiriistratiorl;

,( ii) .Adrninj.str2,tive organization;

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(iv) Funds to 1,>a ~11ooat9d to r-oads ,

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E/CN.14/TRANS/WP• 2

Page 9.

(b) Statistical

(1) Road network (classification of roads, state of roads);

(ii)

^Mobile e~uipment;

(iii)

Motor fuel consumption;

(iv) Road traffio.

(0) Technical standards and regulations

(1) Limitation of motor vehicle weights and dimensions;

(ii) Geometrioal norms and oharaoteristios for the various oategories of road;

(iii) Road-building specifioations;

(1v) Register of roads and bridges.

(d) Eoonomio questions

(i) Estimates of the economic life of roads;

(ii) Present cost of operating the various types of road transport;

(iii) Present cost of cJnstructing and maintaining the different categories of roads.

19. An effort will be made to assemble data on the present state of roads and information on existing preliminary projects, roads to be constructed or re-ccnstructed, and on specific problems to whioh attention should be drawn. In the case of projects stressed as desirable by oertain countries, a file would have to be opened, showing finanoial data, the economic value of tho proposed works, technioal aotion to be taken etc •• Agreement could be reached on uniform methods of opening and keeping this file.

• ••••