Ministers agree on long-term transport development in Africa
By Andrew Allimadi
25 November 2005

Eighteen sub-Saharan African transport ministers who met in Bamako, Mali earlier this month, adopted a resolution aimed at developing the transport infrastructure on the continent.

The meeting was held from 15 - 16 November as part of the 2005 Annual General Meeting of the sub-Saharan African Transport Policy Programme (SSATP).

Mali's interim Prime Minister Nancoman Keita officially opened the meeting, stating the importance of transport to the continent's economic development. He noted the deplorable state of the transport infrastructure network and commended the SSATP for its important role in developing sound transport policies.

The adopted resolution stressed the need to incorporate transport issues into poverty reduction strategies, ensure sustainable financing for Africa's road programmes, and prioritize road safety issues. [A copy of the full resolution is attached.]

Some of the key issues discussed at the meeting also included ongoing efforts to combat HIV/AIDS at regional level and strategies to finance transport infrastructure. The mainstreaming of gender issues in SSATP activities emerged as a major innovation at this year's meeting.

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) played a prominent role in the meeting by organizing workshops on the special needs of landlocked developing countries, and on promoting regional transit agreements and international transport treaties.

[Note: The SSATP is a joint initiative of ECA and the World Bank launched in 1987].