Road and air-transport development in Africa remain hindered by governments’ resistance to reforms, the Pan-African Parliament heard in a report from the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).
On the air front, states that signed the Yamoussoukro Decision to liberalise the African air-transport market in 2005 were instead insisting on restrictive policies, read the report delivered this week.
They also insisted on using bilateral agreements either superseded by the decision, or that were contrary to it.
”This severely limits the benefits that would otherwise have accrued to the citizens of Africa.”
However, the report noted progress on the liberalisation of traffic rights.
”But difficulties are still being encountered by state administrations and airlines.”
In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, the community’s secretariat, in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Eastern and Southern African States (Comesa) and the East African Community (EAC), had agreed on competition regulations.
”[They] are now working on guidelines for their implementation as well as the necessary institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision.”
On air safety, some Economic Community of West African States and Monetary and Economic Community of Central Africa members had introduced fully functional autonomous civil aviation authorities, one of the key institutional reforms for enhancing safety.
On the road front, improvement in political willingness was also identified as a key to making it easier for people and goods to move across the continent.
”Construction of roads alone is not sufficient to achieve efficiency and shorter transport time,” read the report.
”One-stop border posts and trade-facilitation programmes contribute much to improve the cross-border flow of goods and persons on the African continent.”
The report noted a number of road transport corridor programmes that had been financed and were currently being implemented.
On the rail front, the Nepad report noted progress in the concession of railways in SADC and EAC countries.
A $2,46-million feasibility study was under way for a line between Rwanda’s capital and Tanzania’s dry port at Isaka.
”A project has been conceptualised to improve existing networks in Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia and the rehabilitation of the Ethiopia-Djibouti line as a concession is under way.”
In southern Angola, there was progress rehabilitating the railway line leading to the port of Namibe, using Indian credit.
Further north, Angola’s Benguela line was being rehabilitated with Chinese help.
On water transport, there was renewed focus on developing projects on Lake Victoria and Japan was involved in rehabilitating 17 African ports.
Bridge
Meanwhile, Nepad has ambitious plans to build a bridge across the massive Congo River, connecting the capitals of the two Congos.
Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, are visible to one another in the distance on either side of the Stanley Pool.
The pool is dammed by the Inga rapids — where a hydroelectric scheme is another Nepad project — and collects water from the enormous Congo Basin.
Fed by water from alternative rainy seasons on both sides of the Equator, the Congo River crosses the line twice in its journey to the Atlantic ocean.
”The bridge has been prioritised as a project that should be implemented with urgency,” read a Nepad report. — Sapa