Distr.: LIMITED TRANSCOM/1021
October 1995 Original: ENGLISH
UNITED NATIONS
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA
AFRICAN MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS APPROVE A PROGRAMME OF ACTION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
SECOND UNITED NATIONS TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS IN AFRICA [UNTACDA II) FOR THE PERIOD 1995-1997
Transport, Communications and Tourism Division
P.O.Box 3001, Tel. 251 1 51 65 51, Fax 251 1 510391, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
APPROVE A PROGRAMME OF ACTION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SECOND UNITED NATIONS TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS
IN AFRICA (UNTACDA II) FOR THE PERIOD 1995-1997 I. Background
The 10th meeting of the, Conference of African Ministers of Transport and Communications which took place at ECA from 20-25 March 1995 assessed the progress made after four years of implementation of UNTACDA II. Based on experience gained during the period 1991 to 1995 and results of the first mid-term evaluation of the programme, which was conducted by ECA in 1994, the Conference approved the programme of action to be implemented in the period 1995 to 1997.
During the deliberations of the March 1995 Conference on UNTACDA II it was agreed to maintain the bottom-up approach of the programme: that is, with inputs from member States, African regional and Inter-Governmental Organizations, concerned UN agencies and financial organizations: Accordingly the programme of action is focused on actions to be carried out at these three levels: national, sub- regional and regional.
II. Focus and Activities for the Programme
At national levels the programme will pay special attention to the implementation of high priority projects which have regional and sub-regional impact, such as those currently included in the approved iist of projects to be implemented under the UNTACDA II: "Projects Approved in 1991".
Activities at sub-regional levels are to be implemented under established five sub-regions of Africa which are the building blocks for the establishment of the African Economic Community in accordance with the Abuja Treaty of 1991. For UNTACDA II, which is a basis for physical integration of Africa, these sub-regions 'form a natural grouping for its implementation. Their role in the programme of action is to be strengthened and they will how be entrusted with the assignment to draw up regional action programmes with technical support to be provided to them by sub- sectoral Working Groups. The sub-regional organizations will assist member States in addressing and attaining the objectives of the Decade at the national levels.
Regional activities of the programme are to be implemented by African regional organizations and relevant UN agencies which are to fully incorporate into their regular work programme those aspects of the programme of action which are relevant to their mandate and competence.
Page 2
III. Summary Coverage of the Programme of Action
The programme of action as approved by the Conference of Ministers covers four main categories of activities namely: seminars and workshops, surveys and studies, management information system, and mobilization of resources for the
implementation of the action programme.
(a) Seminars and Workshops
It is recognized that dissemination of UNTACDA II activities cannot be achieved without sensitizing policy makers and facilitating their efforts in drawing up and developing action plans for implementation. Sharing ideas over common problems has been found to be both mutually supportive and a highly effective way to give acceptance of the need for change.
Brief descriptions of the seven topics for workshops will be conducted under the programme of action are given below.
(i) Sub-regional workshops on implementation of UNTACDA II strategies Five workshops are programmed, one in each subregion, to discuss ways and means of implementing aspects of UNTACDA II strategies which are specific to each sub-region. The sub-regionally organized workshops and seminars, assume that those present at the workshops would be able to convey to all their colleagues within their organizations the messages heard and the action plans agreed upon for the implementation of UNTACDA II strategies.
(ii) Financing transport and communications sectors in Africa
The report on resource mobilization for UNTACDA II projects during the period 1991-1994 clearly demonstrated that resource mobiiization is a major input to the successful implementation of activities of the programme. A regional workshop will therefore be organized on financing of UNTACDA II activities. The workshop will assess possibilities for mobilizing resources for the implementation of future activities for the programme of action. The workshop will emphasize on ways and means of increasing revenues as well as user charges in support of transport and communications development. It wiil aiso highlight fiscal policies for promotion of indigenous private sector investment in the sector.
(iii) Restructuring of transport and communications parastatal organizations and governmental institutions
The major task facing many transport and communications in Africa is how to initiate and negotiate the process of divorcing their activities from government control
such that they can be run as commercial enterprises and not as extensions of
government social policies.
Based on documents to be prepared by ECA, two meetings (one in French and one in English) will be organized for experts from African countries including representatives of the private sector, experts from sub-regional organizations and
specialized consultants. The objective of the meetings will be to exchange
methodologies and experiences in restructuring using results of case studies that will eventually enable ECA to prepare an orientation paper to be disseminated to all African countries and relevant organizations on the subject.(iv) Human Resources and Institutional Development in transport and communications (HRID)
As a continuation to Phase 1 of the HRID seminars which were conducted at sub-regional and regional levels, and owing to the varying requirements from country to country, and the need to build up critical masses of trained personnel, continuation with the HRiD programme will in 1995 to 1997 be carried out at national leveis for some modes of transport and communications. The modes to be selected and issues to be considered under national, workshops will derive, inter alia from the results of activities under phase I o1 the HRID programme. The agencies which have participated in the project in the past will be expected to continue; these include ILO, ITU, ICAO, IMO, UNCTAD, the World Bank and UNDP.
(v) Private sector participation in telecommunications development in Africa African must take concrete steps in order to encourage private sector participation in developing the communications sector. Deregulation or disinvestment or other forms of wholesale participation of the private sector in the development of telecommunications in Africa has not generally occurred in African countries.
The possibility for regional action in private participation in the development of telecommunications is to organize sub-regional workshops on the subject. Efforts along the same lines have already started in SADC sub-region in 1994 with support from USAID. Such pilot efforts will be taken into considerations by ECA in the formulation of sub-regional workshops on the private sector participation in telecommunications development in the region.
Page 4
(vi) Subreaionai seminars on the implementation of Yamoussoukro Declaration on a new African air transport policy
Faced with deregulation and liberalization of air transport in industrialized countries, African Ministers responsible for Civil Aviation adopted in 1980 the Yamoussoukro Declaration on a new African Air Transport Policy. The declaration is designed to foster individual and collective action for cooperation and integration of African Airlines. The African Ministers of Civil Aviation already held a meeting in Mauritius in September 1994 to explore modalities for speeding up the implementation
of the Declaration.
The Seminars on implementation of the Declaration will be organized in collaboration with subregiopal organizations, to frame out solutions to problems and obstacles constraining the speedy implementation of the Declaration. More emphasis will be given to problems related to routes development and traffic right issues.
(vii) Third African Road Safety Congress
The road accidents problem in Africa is very serious and the number of road accidents is increasing. Statistics from few countries estimate that the number of people killed in road accidents {i.e. deaths per vehicle) is up to 50 times higher in Africa than in the industrial world. There is, therefore, a need to address the road safety situation in the region with special attention to financing of road safety activities, organization of road safety work, including harmonization of requirements for the various elements of road safety initiatives.
The African Road Safety Congress -which is scheduled for 1996 will be preceeded with a review of the road safety situation in Africa, and the progress achieved since the Second Congress was held in 1989 in Addis Ababa.
(b) Surveys to be conducted
In the development of transport and communications in Africa, there is always a need to develop better knowledge of the sector at any given time, and identify major issues to be addressed in order to design new agenda for action. Four surveys are to be conducted during the 1995-1997 period.
One survey is on the establishment of postal transit centres. Among the difficulties and problems impending the development of postal services are the wrong choice of transit centres which often leads to delays in the distribution of mail;
inadequate attention to the development of postal services in the rural areas; and inability of the organizational structures to provide modern postal services which are in current demand.
The survey will be a follow-up "to a pre-feasibility study conducted in 1993 which identified four centres to be established in Addis Ababa, Harare, Abidjan and
Cairo.
Another survey concerns the improvement of international transit facilitation along selected corridors, which is the first step towards a smooth carriage of cargo in one transport chain.
The survey on transit transport facilitation will review the status and progress made in the implementation of surveys already carried out by various international, subregiohal organizations and other institutions on transport facilitation in Africa. It will also assess the achievements already established by transit transport organizations in the region. The review will enable ECA to determine transit transport problems in the region and decide upon the entry points for workshops and other related issues to be addressed during UNTACDA II programme and beyond. A series of workshops on facilitation of transport along the main corridors in Africa and the development and promotion of containerization wili.be developed and conducted in collaboration with UNCTAD, and other regional and subregional training institutions in Africa.
The third survey for the 1995-1997 period is on commercialization and the private sector participation in transport and communications operations in Africa.
The report on the survey will" coyer identification of the services in the sector which could be improved through commercialization, including privatization and -management autonomy where practicable; identification of modalities for communications and criteria for selecting services to be commercialized, taking into account the comparative advantage of various options for the participation of the private sector in transport and communications.
The fourth survey will be on environmental issues in transport and tourism matters' such as management of environment and sustainable development, environmental measures on legislation, taxation, major cities pollution and appropriate technology for the reduction of pollution by gas.
Page 6
(c) Management Information System
The shortage of economic data in Africa extends to the transport and communications sector. A market analysis on transport data needs of users and specific performance/efficiency indicators had already been carried out including a review of existing sources of data.
Activities to be carried out under the programme of action include support to selected pilot countries in the improvement of data collection and dissemination methodologies; establishment of a regional data base at ECA and training of field staff at national and subregional levels on transport statistics.
fdj Mobilization of Resources for the Implementation of the Action
Programme
The issue of resource mobilization for the implementation of the regional action programme in as important as the formulation of the programme itself. Results of the first mid-term evaluation pointed out that the major reason for the reduced level of implementation of the programme during 1991-1994 period was lack of resources for Xhe programme's support activities.
ECA will therefore make special appeals to member States to replenish the UNTACDA Trust Fund in support for the implementation of some of the activities in the programme. Appeals, will also be made to African development partners to avail resources for the development of transport and communications in the region.
(IV) Conclusion *
The implementation of the UNTACDA II programme of action, in particular the regional programme of action, will require very close co-ordination among the agencies and organizations. While some of the activities may be carried out by specific working groups, it will be necessary to set up ad hoc working groups for' other activities.
Since UNTACDA II is a cooperation programme designed to co-ordinate activities for the development of transport and communications in Africa, its implementation at -national, regional and international levels, including the monitoring and-evaluation of the programme wiii be carried out at each of the above levels.
African development partners wishing to participate in or sponsor some of the activities under the programme of action should contact ECA and provide information on specific field(s) of interest and the expected level participation. Enquiries on participation in the programme should be addressed to the ECA, Division pf Transport,
Communications and Tourism P.O.Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia or TLX 21029
UNECA ET or Fax No.(215-1) 510391/514416.
The regional programme of action will be further refineci to focus on priority topics for which financing can be obtained either from budgets of participating organizations or from non-traditional sources. Schedules for activities under the action
programme will be finalized on the basis of availability of- resources and will be
available on request. ,
