General proceedings - Association mondiale de la Route

• Estimated value of the SSA road network is US$150 billion. Using an asset accumulation
rate of 5.5 percent, the road network is equivalent to approximately 15 percent of the
region’s gross domestic product (GDP).
• In spite of the high value of the road network - and importance to economic growth -
efforts to preserve, renew or develop the network have been dismal.
• Roads are a public good therefore their provision is the domain of the public sector; poor
public policy framework, for instance clamping of roads, water and housing estates. This
is reflected in network management problems (note: whilst major reforms have been
made to bring market discipline to public policy, the ills of the past persist), and
reverberate in the road network management (unclear responsibilities and acutely
inadequate finance). The end result is poor road networks.
• The current road investment gap in SSA, and indeed most of the world, is to a large
extent caused by a delusion that roads are a public good (hereinafter ‘the delusion’). A
public good, in the strict sense, is a commodity that is both non-rival and non-excludable
• Lack of Clear Responsibilities: This stretches from unclear roles at ministerial level to
poorly defined staff job specifications at the road management level. While good
progress has been made at the ministerial level, duplication of roles is still common at the
road management level.
• Thin Skills Base: Technical and management skills shortage is a problem in SSA just like
the rest of the world. Inadequate finance in SSA compounds the problem. With exception
of donor financed projects, staff pay is poor. Staff motivation is low, and does not
measure to the challenges that the network poses.
Recommendations:
• Road space should be treated as a private good, subject to market forces of demand and
supply. Where demand is high, road space should be packaged and taken to the
marketplace.
• Utility enhancement must address equity and efficiency
• To improve efficiency in road provision, private finance and expertise are vital
• Poor equity and debt markets are major hurdles in capturing private finance
• Government initiatives and pro-action by the private sector are required in overcoming
these hurdles.
Title: Development Corridors: Emphasizing Economic Function to Accelerate
Infrastructure Development
Author & Presenter: Mr. Smak Kaombwe (pictured), Central Development Corridor
(CDC) Project Manager, Rwandese Development Bank (BRD), Rwanda
The presenter highlighted on the Development Corridors (Spatial
Development Initiatives) methodology as a tool to expedite
infrastructure development by emphasizing its economic function. He
further listed various development corridors. He pointed out some
factors that contribute for projects taking a long period to be
implemented. Such factors include: Difficulty to appreciate plans and
timing of key inputs from other projects or sectors for success of
project, (to show ways to mitigate externally driven risks for potential
23