Are There Myths on Road Impact and Transport in Sub‐Saharan Africa?

Abstract

Large investments in road infrastructure continue to be high on the agenda of many African countries, only a few of which have actually amended their investment strategy. In many cases, there seems to be a preference for a status quo that can easily be explained by political-economy factors driving policies in the sector. After presenting data on the state of roads in subSaharan Africa (length, density, condition), this article demonstrates how most countries' transport strategies are based on certain misperceptions and recommends better prioritisation of investments, better procurement and contract management, better projects implementation and better monitoring to improve the developmental impact of recent road investments.

Roads to Change: Livelihoods, Land Disputes, and Anticipation of Future Developments in Rural Kenya

“…Despite the recent boom in rural road construction, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about known about their actual impacts (van de Walle 2009; Rammelt et al 2017;DeGrassi 2005;Beuran et al 2015). One critical view is that "[r]oads on the fringes of the state are themselves war-zones" and "known places of ambush and assault" as Fiona Wilson has noted (Wilson 2004, p. 544).…”

The Impact of Road Infrastructure Development Projects on Local Communities in Peri-Urban Areas: the Case of Kisumu, Kenya and Accra, Ghana

“…Road infrastructure projects have massive investments since they have been used to achieve economic prosperity through haulage of goods and services from one place to another (Jedwab and Moradi 2016). In Sub-Sahara Africa, road infrastructure presently remains the means of conveying about 75% of freights and passengers (Beuran et al 2015). Considering that about 50% of the roads in the Sub-Sahara region are yet to be constructed implies that road infrastructure development remains on the top list of physical infrastructure developments in such cities, potentially impacting the socioeconomic and physical environment of the cities and their peri-urban areas (Gachassin et al 2010;Cobbinah et al 2015).…”

Peace, Transport, and Understanding: A place for Samfunnssikkerhet in African Peacebuilding?

“…This emphasis on roadbuilding, in and of itself, as an effective peacebuilding and development tool, however, is inconsistent with current thinking on sustainable transport (Steg & Gifford, 2005). For one thing, there exist inherent inequalities and disconnects between roadbuilding programmes and socioeconomic development in rural and remote areas (e.g., Beuran, Gachassin, & Raballand, 2015;Rubaba et al, 2015). Perhaps more importantly, though, such emphasis on engineered roads indeed promotes physical connectivity (a road from here to there) but does not necessarily provide accessibility (a way to get there).…”