Road maintenance reforms promoted by the SSATP are built on three pillars: improved road maintenance financing, improved road maintenance management capacity and improved execution capacity. This page focuses on the second pillar. Indeed, while the policy to develop second generation road fundswas successful in sustaining road maintenance financing and improving efficiency in the management of road maintenance resources, the capacity to use these resources often remained weak. Restructuring of Road Departments did not have the expected impact because too many constraints remained preventing the full use of existing technical capacity. Lessons learned from the creation of Road Funds have been used to promote the creation of Road Agencies as autonomous entities responsible for the management of road networks in complement to the Road Funds which are responsible for provision and financial management of road maintenance resources.
In Sub-Saharan Africa there are presently about 15 agencies, out of which 12 operate within the SSATP partner countries. Different models exist with various levels of responsibilities, from full responsibility for road network managementto limited responsibility for management of execution of road maintenance programs defined by the Road Department in the Ministry of Roads.
SSATP has developed a database on road agencies. The database covers eight Anglophone, three Francophone and two Lusophone countries, and contains various legal documents related to road agencies that SSATP has been able to obtain so far. A matrixis also available which summarizes the main characteristics and responsibilities of the road agencies, the role of the Road Boards and of the Ministries in charge of Roads.
A study is being undertaken to review the legal and institutional framework for road agencies and road funds in SSA. The purpose of the study is:
- to assess the legal and institutional framework under which road agencies and road funds operate with a view to identifying some of the common features which may indicate good practice for others to subsequently follow. The study is also to unearth specific approaches taken in some countries which may not as yet have been universally adopted, but which may merit further consideration.
- to assess the performance of road administrations and the impact of the changes in the institutional framework for road maintenance resulting from the creation of road agencies and road funds; and
- to provide guidelines to improve performance of road institutions and efficiency of the institutional framework for road maintenance.
There are presently two associations of road agencies in SSA today:
- Association of African Road Managers and Partners (AGEPAR), which covers mainly French speaking countries in West- and Central Africa
- Association of Southern African National Roads Agencies (ASANRA), which covers the countries of the SADC-countries in East- and Southern Africa
More information on these associations can be found on the partners page of the SSATP website. The associations provide for a forum to exchange information and learn from the experience of the existing road agencies and to promote the creation of new road agencies in countries where road management capacity remain weak. The associations also lead activities to build technical and managerial capacity of their members.
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