Road policy reform in Sub-Saharan Africa : 1991-1995

The purpose of this paper is to review the progress made in implementing key elements of road policy as it evolved, following the Road Maintenance Initiative (RMI), launched in 1987, as a partnership of key donors, involved in the road sector. RMI's primary objectives have been to develop awareness of the critical importance of road maintenance, and to define the key elements of policy reform, and institutional change, needed to set road management on a sustainable basis. Roads in Africa currently carry about ninety percent of its freight, and passenger transport, but neglect and ineffective maintenance led to the erosion of the investments made in the 1960s and 1970s, for the extension and upgrading of African road networks. Hence, reforming road policy, and building financial and institutional capacity for the sustainable management of roads, remain the central challenges for Sub-Saharan Africa transport sector. The paper, prepared as background for presenting the RMI at the World Road Congress, held in September 1995, provides an overview of the RMI process, and should be of use for road planners, and policymakers. It should also be of interest to a broader audience of development, and institutions specialists, interested in the definition of the role of the government.