Implementation and Impact of RMI : A Survey of Stakeholders in Seven Member Countries
Following extensive consultations with both public and private sector stakeholders, the Road Management Initiative (RMI) formerly known as Road Maintenance Initiative was launched in the late 1980.s as a component of the Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP). This program was led by the Africa Region Infrastructure Department of the World Bank and the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in response to an increasing concern over deteriorating road infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) despite substantial capital investments by governments and donors. Since its inception, the RMI has focused its activities on finding ways and means of reversing the process of decline that was trapping SSA governments in the cycle of road building, roads collapsing prematurely and roads being rebuilt long before the end of their design life. These activities have generally been pursued within the context of a key concept to emerge from the RMI program. that of commercialization of the roads sector, i.e. bringing roads into the market place, charging for their use on a fee-for-service basis and managing them like any other business. At the 14th RMI Annual Coordinating Committee Meeting (CCM) held in Pretoria, South Africa in December 1999, member states recommended the commissioning of a survey in selected countries to obtain stakeholders views on the RMI vision and strategy and on what changes seem necessary in the RMI approach to more effectively facilitate implementation of sustainable reforms. The survey was undertaken in seven countries: Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe and the key issues addressed were: 1) Stakeholders perceptions of the RMI vision for sustainable road management; 2) The barriers, constraints and concerns hampering attainment of the RMI vision; 3) The need for change in the RMI approach, focus and resources; and 4) Indicators to be used to monitor progress in the implementation and impact of reforms. This paper reports on the survey's outcome.
| Summary: | Following extensive consultations with
both public and private sector stakeholders, the Road
Management Initiative (RMI) formerly known as Road
Maintenance Initiative was launched in the late 1980.s as a
component of the Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program
(SSATP). This program was led by the Africa Region
Infrastructure Department of the World Bank and the
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in response to an
increasing concern over deteriorating road infrastructure in
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) despite substantial capital
investments by governments and donors. Since its inception,
the RMI has focused its activities on finding ways and means
of reversing the process of decline that was trapping SSA
governments in the cycle of road building, roads collapsing
prematurely and roads being rebuilt long before the end of
their design life. These activities have generally been
pursued within the context of a key concept to emerge from
the RMI program. that of commercialization of the roads
sector, i.e. bringing roads into the market place, charging
for their use on a fee-for-service basis and managing them
like any other business. At the 14th RMI Annual
Coordinating Committee Meeting (CCM) held in Pretoria, South
Africa in December 1999, member states recommended the
commissioning of a survey in selected countries to obtain
stakeholders views on the RMI vision and strategy and on
what changes seem necessary in the RMI approach to more
effectively facilitate implementation of sustainable
reforms. The survey was undertaken in seven countries:
Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
and the key issues addressed were: 1) Stakeholders
perceptions of the RMI vision for sustainable road
management; 2) The barriers, constraints and concerns
hampering attainment of the RMI vision; 3) The need for
change in the RMI approach, focus and resources; and 4)
Indicators to be used to monitor progress in the
implementation and impact of reforms. This paper reports on
the survey's outcome. |
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