Press Release No. 35/1997

Cairo 24-26 November 1997, UNTACDA II under the Spotlight at Ministerial Transport Conference

Addis Ababa, 18 November 1997: With only two years to go before the SecondUnited Nations Transport and Communications Decade for Africa (UNTACDA II)programme winds to a close, African Ministers responsible for the sectorwill assess the programme's impact and devise an action plan for the period1998-2007.

The review of UNTACDA II will take place at a two day conference inCairo (Egypt), from 24-26 November 1997, organised by ECA in collaborationwith the Government of Egypt.

A successor to the first Decade programme implemented from 1978-88, UNTACDAII's objective was to establish an integrated transport and communicationssystem which would serve as a base for the physical integration of thecontinent.

The Conference of ministers, the standing decision-making organ of theprogramme, convenes at least once biennially. It held its last meeting inAddis Ababa in 1995 to consider the conclusion of the fist mid-termevaluation of the programme under the auspices of ECA, the lead agency. Thatconsideration led to the adoption of a plan of action for 1995-97.

African ministers will be joined by private sector representatives andfinanciers, operators, planners, economists and researchers, from around theworld. Public transport operators, non-governmental organizations andrepresentatives of United Nations agencies will also participate in theConference.

Items on the agenda will include:

• the future of African transport
• trade and facilitation
• transport and the environment
• financing and private sector participation
• capacity building

Transport information systems development and technology will also be a focus of the Conference.

A mid-term evaluation of the programme carried out by ECA last September through independent consultants discovered serious bottlenecks:

• the level of projects carried out was satisfactory only for road transport;
• funding for 550 projects stood at only US$5.844 million out of a projected total of US$7,664.35 million;
• regional projects which constituted the core elements of the programme received little attention;
• Member States focused on national projects to the detriment of sub-regional and regional ones.

The same evaluation points out that mechanism set up for the monitoring andimplementation of the programme have failed to function adequately duringthe implementation period. Lack of support from governments and lack offinancial resources contributed to such an outcome.

Among the key issues on the table for the consideration of the conferenceis the rate and modality with which the African transport & communicationsector can overcome problems of inefficiency, cost, lack of facilitation,protectionism, poor performance and excessive regulation.

One strong theme is that private sector participation in the developmentof infrastructure across the region is not only inevitable but alsodesirable. With the multiplication of Africa's development priorities,African countries cannot continue to build, operate and maintain transportand telecommunications facilities and services without sacrificing others.

This involves the improvement in performance through reform andrestructuring of transport and communications structures, as well as theestablishment of alliances and joint ventures with others.

For the first time, the Conference will feature an African Transport Forum (AFT). The Forum's objectives are, among others, to:

• review emerging issues in African transport development
• provide African policy-makers with the opportunity to interact with the representatives of financial institutions and high level international experts
• gather information on best practices for dissemination to Africancountries.

The raising of awareness of transport development issues, introduction to new technologies and skills upgrading are some of the benefits ECA hopes will accrue from ATF.