 Hosted by the Government of Mali in the capital city of Bamako, the main part of the 2005 Annual Meeting of SSATP stakeholders took place from November 14th to 18th. As preliminary meeting activities commenced on November 10th, the 2005 event occupied nearly eight days.
More than 300 participants gathered at two principal venues - the Palais de la Culture located on the north bank of the majestic Niger River, and the conference hall of Hotel De l'Amitié. | Annual Meeting Report | SSATP Annual Meeting 2005
in Bamako, Mali —
Full Report and Annexes:
English, French |
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The 2005 meeting differed significantly from its predecessors - it was more strategic, attracted higher-level participants, and generated more debate. Its focus was on moving forward with implementation of the SSATP Long-Term Development Plan (LTDP) - a plan that is designed to achieve concrete improvements in the transport sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, so that it contributes fully to growth and poverty reduction. The Meeting addressed issues identified by SSATP members and partners as the most important and challenging for the development of transport in line with Africa's visions and needs, including:  - Developing transport strategies that contribute to poverty reduction
- Strengthening the links between transport, trade and regional integration
- Establishing sound institutions and financing arrangements for the roads sector
- Managing increased financing from development partners
- Creating a future vision for transport in Africa
- Improving the mobility of the urban poor
- Ensuring that the voices of women are heard in LTDP implementation
Purpose of the meeting
The meeting needed to deliver five specific results - all linked to the results called for by the LTDP. | LTDP Results | 2005 Meeting Results | | 1. SSATP Coordination - Program Approach | 1. Governments and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) understand the importance of SSATP coordination and how it can be made to function well | | 2. Transport strategies anchored in poverty reduction strategies | 2. Governments committed to supporting Poverty Reduction Transport Strategy Review (PRTSR) principles & process, and Governments & Donors committed to integrating PRTSR review results into national development strategies | | 3. Sound institutional and financial arrangements adopted | 3. Better political and operational understanding of the implementation issues concerning improved Road Management & Financing (RMF) and Appropriate Transport Services (ATS) with regard to the poor | | 4. Trade and transport facilitation measures adopted | 4. Better political understanding of the role of national governments in transit corridor management and trade & transport facilitation | | 5. Increased Africa-based SSATP management | 5. Conditions for the successful transfer of SSATP to Africa are understood |
Additionally, there were three cross-cutting priorities for the meeting. | 6. SSATP member countries' capacity to respond to new opportunities & risks is increased and their needs understood by development partners | | 7. Phase 2 of the SSATP data collection initiative agreed and donor support secured | | 8. A clear role for an SSATP women's network in contributing to achieving the LTDP goal is established |
Meeting achievements
 The meeting purpose was achieved at one level by identifying operational improvements through progress reviews, lesson learning, experience sharing - and at another through participation by the large number of ministers who jointly agreed the "Bamako Declaration" (English, French) - a clear statement of political support for SSATP objectives.
 Notable in the 2005 event was a concentrated effort to address implementation deficiencies with regard to dealing with the needs of women. This was partially achieved by integrating 'women & transport' issues into the meeting process. A strong women's group, assembled for a start-up 'women & transport' workshop, maintained an effective presence throughout the meeting, resulting in excellent analytical presentations to plenary sessions along with proposals for strengthening the way in which implementation should address priority women & transport questions.
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