Volume 8, Issue 3
July - September 2019
CONTENT
Chair's Foreword
Towards a Trans-African Highways Network
Earth Science Events
References and selected reading
Chair's Foreword*
We address the Trans-African Highways project first conceived in the 1960s and 70s as a venture that would bring great economic benefit to the continent. The Highway will be built one day, but still has some way to go. We remind ourselves of the vision that led to the project and update readers on the current project status.
Towards a Trans-African Highways Network
The notion of a trans-African highway, immediately promises to contribute greatly to what appears to be an absence of intra-African trade among neighbouring African countries. Furthermore, it is a vision also promising to foster pan-African integration and co-operation.
A 2003 report by the African Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) appreciates a certain historical context to the Trans-African Highway project when it states that on the African continent "...the existing road networks were originally established to service the specific needs and interests of the colonial powers, that had developed import/export markets for Africa in the industrial parts of the world. Africa thus inherited transport and communication structures that were outward looking rather than geared to improved trade and transport with neighbouring African countries."[1]
The system of roads known as the Trans-African Highway is partially built, and will on its completion consist of 9 corridors or highways that both map around and traverse across the vast areas of the African Continent.
A 2003 report by the African Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) appreciates a certain historical context to the Trans-African Highway project when it states that on the African continent "...the existing road networks were originally established to service the specific needs and interests of the colonial powers, that had developed import/export markets for Africa in the industrial parts of the world. Africa thus inherited transport and communication structures that were outward looking rather than geared to improved trade and transport with neighbouring African countries."[1]
The system of roads known as the Trans-African Highway is partially built, and will on its completion consist of 9 corridors or highways that both map around and traverse across the vast areas of the African Continent.
 |
| United Nations Economic Commission for Africa |
The Highway as planned covers a total of 59,100 km. It was formed with the three fold aims of
a) providing as direct routes as possible between the continent's capital cities
b) contribute to the political, economic and social cohesion of Africa
c) ensure road transport facilities between important areas of consumption and production; in other words to engender intra-African trade.
According, again, to the same 2003 Africa Development Bank and UN report [2], the layout of the Trans-Africa Highway has come about as a result of compromise between these aims. It was estimated in the same report that it would cost a further 4.2 Billion USD to complete the network.
Initially a Trans-African Highway Bureau was established to oversee the management of the project and ensure its completion. But this ceased to exist in the 1980s and attempts to revive this in the 1990s failed. The current plan is to replace the Bureau with Trans-African Highway Authorities and Committees that will help so as to reduce costs borne by member states.
The Highway had to be extended after the abolition of apartheid in South Africa, which at the time was not included in the network. The Highway formerly connecting Cairo to Gabarone was extended to become Cairo to Cape Town; whilst the route Tripoli to Windhoek was extended to become Tripoli to Cape Town.
The network does have significant missing links; some where no tracks has even been mapped out for the highway such as in Republic of Congo. In cases this is due to the difficulty of terrain and geology. In other cases, a dirt road exists which may be less passable during rainy season weather.
Despite the promise, it seems that the building of the Trans-African Highway (TAH) alone, will not by itself lead to intra-African trade increasing. The report notes that the development of inter-African trade has not shown particular advances in the 13 Regional Economic Communities (RECs) for which data was available at the time of the report. Six of the regions showed a decrease in the proportion of exports going to Africa and only one showed an increase, The remainder were more or less unchanged. The picture was the same for imports.
There were problems prohibiting convenient use of the TAH. Roadblocks were identified as a significant nuisance. These were justified by both legal and illegal agents as necessary for vehicle condition checks, border security etc. However, the vast majority of excessive road blocks existed to extort money from travelers, particularly trucks and buses.
In April 2008, the conference of African ministers of transport recommended harmonization of standards along the transcontinental highways and began the process of drafting and implementing the agreement.[3]
More recently, the leaders of landlocked countries in Africa have realised the great benefit from the Trans-African Highway that will potentially accrue to landlocked economies which suffer from lack of access to seaports. This is a further incentive to move along with completion of the highway [4].
The emergence of the TAH will not be without its challenges as greater networks of roads will transform the continent economically and also lead to other unintended consequences like the disruption of wildlife and natural environments as noted by a report in the New Scientist[5]. Also, although not alluded to by the report, greater road networks will obviously lead to traffic pollution and the need to control vehicle emissions. This is why in addition planning must be made from the outset to cater for carbon neutral electric vehicles. There would need to be a plan to in time install solar powered charging points along the highways with a possible view to moving towards 100% solar powered electric vehicle highways in the future.
The network does have significant missing links; some where no tracks has even been mapped out for the highway such as in Republic of Congo. In cases this is due to the difficulty of terrain and geology. In other cases, a dirt road exists which may be less passable during rainy season weather.
Despite the promise, it seems that the building of the Trans-African Highway (TAH) alone, will not by itself lead to intra-African trade increasing. The report notes that the development of inter-African trade has not shown particular advances in the 13 Regional Economic Communities (RECs) for which data was available at the time of the report. Six of the regions showed a decrease in the proportion of exports going to Africa and only one showed an increase, The remainder were more or less unchanged. The picture was the same for imports.
There were problems prohibiting convenient use of the TAH. Roadblocks were identified as a significant nuisance. These were justified by both legal and illegal agents as necessary for vehicle condition checks, border security etc. However, the vast majority of excessive road blocks existed to extort money from travelers, particularly trucks and buses.
In April 2008, the conference of African ministers of transport recommended harmonization of standards along the transcontinental highways and began the process of drafting and implementing the agreement.[3]
 |
| Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa |
More recently, the leaders of landlocked countries in Africa have realised the great benefit from the Trans-African Highway that will potentially accrue to landlocked economies which suffer from lack of access to seaports. This is a further incentive to move along with completion of the highway [4].
The emergence of the TAH will not be without its challenges as greater networks of roads will transform the continent economically and also lead to other unintended consequences like the disruption of wildlife and natural environments as noted by a report in the New Scientist[5]. Also, although not alluded to by the report, greater road networks will obviously lead to traffic pollution and the need to control vehicle emissions. This is why in addition planning must be made from the outset to cater for carbon neutral electric vehicles. There would need to be a plan to in time install solar powered charging points along the highways with a possible view to moving towards 100% solar powered electric vehicle highways in the future.
Earth Science Events
November 18-19, 2019
Crop Science and Agriculture
VISION:
VENUE: Bali, Indonesia
November 26-27, 2019
Global Summit on Earth Science and Climate Change
VISION:
VENUE: Lisbon, Portugal
References and selected reading
1] Africa Develpment Bank and UNECA, Review of Trans African Highways and Missing Links Vol. 2]
https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/00473227-EN-TAH-FINAL-VOL2.PDF
3] Mutangadura, G., Intergovernmental agreement to underpin the transafrican highway network
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTTRANSPORT/Resources/336291-1370557660583/Mutangadura-Trans-African-Highway-Network.pdf
4] Erdenebileg, S., Statement on: Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States at the High Level Expert Group Meeting To Validate the Report on Harmonisation of Road Norms and Standards in Africa and Discuss the Draft Intergovernmental Agreement, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 19 September 2011. Acting Director Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries.
5] Coghlan, Andy, Africa’s road building frenzy will transform Africa - but pose environmental challenges, New Scientist, January 2014. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129512-800-africas-road-building-frenzy-will-transform-continent/
*Board of the Society of African Earth Scientists: Dr Enas Ahmed (Egypt), Osmin Callis (Secretary - Guyana/Nigeria), Mathada Humphrey (South Africa), Ndivhuwo Cecilia Mukosi (South Africa), Damola Nadi (Nigeria), Dr Chukwunyere Kamalu (Chair - Nigeria).
https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/00473227-EN-TAH-FINAL-VOL2.PDF
3] Mutangadura, G., Intergovernmental agreement to underpin the transafrican highway network
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTTRANSPORT/Resources/336291-1370557660583/Mutangadura-Trans-African-Highway-Network.pdf
4] Erdenebileg, S., Statement on: Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States at the High Level Expert Group Meeting To Validate the Report on Harmonisation of Road Norms and Standards in Africa and Discuss the Draft Intergovernmental Agreement, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 19 September 2011. Acting Director Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries.
5] Coghlan, Andy, Africa’s road building frenzy will transform Africa - but pose environmental challenges, New Scientist, January 2014. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129512-800-africas-road-building-frenzy-will-transform-continent/
*Board of the Society of African Earth Scientists: Dr Enas Ahmed (Egypt), Osmin Callis (Secretary - Guyana/Nigeria), Mathada Humphrey (South Africa), Ndivhuwo Cecilia Mukosi (South Africa), Damola Nadi (Nigeria), Dr Chukwunyere Kamalu (Chair - Nigeria).
