ECOWAS holds workshop to validation studies on Africa’s transport infrastructure

A three-day workshop to validate studies conducted on transport infrastructure and road safety issues on the African continent and to harmonise these practices, is underway in Accra.

The draft report on the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Trans-African Highways Network (TAH) for the harmonization of road norms and standards, African road safety charter, was the outcome of the decision of African Ministers responsible for transport.

The TAH in a response to the decision taken by the ministers responsible for transport, called on the African Union (AU) Commission to conduct studies to define the dimensions for vehicles and standards for road infrastructure along the Continent’s road corridors.

They also tasked the Commission to undertake activities to establish these norms and standards.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the first session of the workshop, Mr David Lansawa Kamara, Director of Transport and Telecommunication of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Commission, expressed disquiet about the inability of some African countries to comply with measures taken to harmonise standards for the  legal, design and construction of infrastructure on the continent.

He said non-compliance on the part of the offenders was not helping the regional integration agenda.

Mr Kamara, however, said he was optimistic that conclusions and recommendations reached at the end of the workshop would contribute to the preparation of the final document, which was expected to be accepted and passed into law.

The AU Commission, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the sub-Saharan Africa Transport Programme Policies, Trade Facilitation Facility and the World Bank supported the studies.

Source: GNA