The latest publication from the Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Programme (SSATP) on transport governance indicators provides a tool for countries to measure governance in the sector as well as monitoring results on actions taken.

Good governance or the lack of it has been a concern of transport sector policy makers and stakeholders for decades. The sector is a major contributor to poverty reduction and economic growth where billions of dollars have been spent on improving and rehabilitating transport infrastructure. However, despite this considerable investment and much associated effort to build supportive technical, financial and management capability, performance continues to lag behind expectation. “Poor governance” is often cited as an underlying reason, a concept that encompasses a range of shortcomings from weak leadership to outright corruption.

According to the SSATP, this publication is an important contribution to moving the governance agenda forward. The paper identifies a critical subset of indicators that can be used to demonstrate in a clear and measurable way the level and quality of governance in a particular country/sector/sub-sector.

The paper is available online: www4.worldbank.org/afr/ssatp/Resources/SSATP-WorkingPapers/SSATPWP95-Governance-Indicators.pdf

The SSATP is a unique partnership of 36 African countries, eight regional economic communities, three African institutions, and many national and international development partners – all dedicated to ensuring that the transport sector fosters poverty reduction, pro-poor growth and regional integration in Africa.

Since its launch in 1987, the programme has greatly evolved while remaining faithful to its mandate of putting the transport sector in the forefront of development. Africa has greatly grown too – in many ways, including better transport strategies, better transport infrastructure financing and maintenance, and better logistics along its road and rail corridors.