LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg, January 15, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The EU is one of the leading donors in the road sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. Road transport is a focal sector for EDF (European Development Fund) cooperation strategy with most Sub-Saharan African countries. Financially, it is by far the most important cooperation sector, with about € 7.4 billion in EDF commitments made in this region over the period from 1995 to 2011. Improper road maintenance and vehicle overloading is putting the sustainability of Sub-Saharan road network into danger.
Roads are essential for regional integration, economic growth, social development, effective public adminis-tration and security. In Sub-Saharan Africa, roads are the dominant mode of passenger and freight trans¬port, accounting for more than 80 % of total move¬ments of goods and services and transport needs are growing rapidly.
The aid-recipient countries visited by the Court do not do enough to ensure the sustainability of road infrastructure. In all partner countries visited by the Court, roads are affected to varying degrees by premature deterioration. Most of these countries have adopted institutional reforms, notably entailing the creation of road funds and road agencies, and made significant progress on road maintenance. However, many challenges remain to be addressed in all of them to ensure appropriate maintenance. Although spending on road maintenance has increased over time in all the partner countries visited by the Court, it remains insufficient to cover the needs.
“In Europe we are used to several options for our transport. In Sub-Saharan Africa, if it is a question of transport, that means roads. Unless the EU Commission and its partners in Sub-Saharan Africa start taking sustainability of the roads very seriously, they will be in danger of losing what we’ve built together”, said Szabolcs Fazakas, the ECA member responsible for the report, “They need to take responsibility for enforcing load limits and to maintain the roads properly.”
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