ECOWAS's Infrastructure : A Regional Perspective

Infrastructure improvements boosted growth in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by one percentage point per capita per year during 1995-2005, primarily thanks to growth in information and communication technology. Deficient power infrastructure held growth back by 0.1 percent. Raising the region's infrastructure to the level of Mauritius could boost growth by 5 percentage points. Overall, infrastructure in the 15 ECOWAS countries ranks consistently behind southern Africa across many indicators. However, there is parity in access to household services -- water, sanitation, and power. ECOWAS has a well-developed regional road network, though sea corridors and ports need attention. Surface transport is expensive and slow, owing to cartelization, restrictive regulations, and delays. There is no regional rail network. Air transport has improved despite the lack of a strong hub-and-spoke structure. Safety remains a concern. Electrical power, the most expensive and least reliable in Africa, reaches 50 percent of the population but meets just 30 percent of demand. Regional power trading would bring substantial benefits if Guinea could become a hydropower exporter. Prices for critical ICT services are relatively high. Recent panregional initiatives have improved roaming. New projects are underway to provide access and improved services to unconnected countries. Completing and maintaining ECOWAS's infrastructure will require sustained spending of $1.5 billion annually for a decade, with one-third going to power. Although the necessary spending is only 1 percent of regional GDP, some countries' share is between 5 and 25 percent of national GDP. Clearly, external assistance will be needed.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Ranganathan, Rupa, Foster, Vivien
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	2011-12-01
Subjects:	ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, AGGREGATES, AIR, AIR MARKET, AIR SAFETY, AIR SERVICES, AIR TRAFFIC, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, AIR TRAFFIC SAFETY, AIR TRANSPORT, AIR TRANSPORTATION, AIR TRAVEL, AIRCRAFT, AIRLINE, AIRLINES, AIRPORT, AIRPORT CHARGES, AIRPORTS, AIRWAYS, ARTERIES, AVERAGE PASSENGER, AVIATION POLICY, BAUXITE, BORDER CROSSING, BORDER CROSSINGS, BUS, BUS SERVICES, BUSES, CABLE, CABLES, CABOTAGE, CAPITAL COSTS, CARBON EMISSIONS, CARGO HANDLING, CARGO HANDLING CHARGE, CARGO TRAFFIC, CARRIAGE, CARRIERS, CATCHMENT, CIVIL AVIATION, CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITIES, CONCESSION, CONCESSION ARRANGEMENTS, CONCESSIONS, CONGESTION, CONSTRUCTION, CONTAINER HANDLING, CONTAINER TERMINAL, CONTAINER TRAFFIC, CONTAINER VESSELS, CONTAINERS, CONTAINERS PER HOUR, COST OF POWER, COST OF TRANSPORT, COST RECOVERY, COST RECOVERY RATIO, COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS, COSTS OF POWER, CROSSING, CUSTOMS, CUSTOMS CLEARANCE, DEMAND FOR POWER, DISTRIBUTION LOSSES, DOMESTIC AIR TRANSPORT, DOMESTIC AIR TRANSPORT MARKET, DOMESTIC TRAFFIC, DRIVERS, ECONOMIC CRISIS, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECASTS, ECONOMIC INTEGRATION, ECONOMIES OF SCALE, EDGE, ELECTRICITY GENERATION, ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION, EMISSIONS, ENERGY COSTS, EXCESS SUPPLY, FIXED COSTS, FOREIGN INVESTORS, FRAMEWORK, FREIGHT, FREIGHT MOVEMENTS, FREIGHT TARIFFS, FREIGHT TRAFFIC, GENERATION, GENERATION CAPACITY, GROWTH RATES, HIGH TRANSPORT, HIGHWAY, HIGHWAYS, HUB, HYDRAULIC, IMPLEMENTATION OF ROAD MAINTENANCE, INCOME, INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING, INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING, INFRASTRUCTURES, INTERNATIONAL GATEWAYS, INTERNATIONAL STANDARD, INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, JETS, LAND TRANSPORT, LANDING, LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES, LANDLOCKED COUNTRY, LIFTING, LIQUID CARGO, LOAD FACTORS, LOCOMOTIVE, LOWER PRICES, MARGINAL COSTS, MARKET CONCENTRATION, MARKET CONDITIONS, MODES OF TRANSPORT, NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE, NATIONAL RAILWAY, NATIONAL TRANSPORT, NAVIGATION, OPEN ACCESS, PASSENGER RAIL, PASSENGER TRANSPORT, PAVING, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, PICKUPS, PLANES, POLICE, POPULATION DENSITIES, POWER, POWER NETWORK, POWER SECTOR, PRICE OF BROADBAND ACCESS, PROFIT MARGINS, RAIL, RAIL CORRIDOR, RAIL CORRIDORS, RAIL FREIGHT, RAIL LINES, RAIL NETWORKS, RAIL SERVICE, RAIL SERVICES, RAIL SYSTEMS, RAIL TRAFFIC, RAIL TRANSPORTATION, RAILWAY NETWORK, RAILWAY NETWORKS, RAILWAYS, RANGE, RATE OF RETURN, REGIONAL AIR TRANSPORT, REGIONAL AIRPORTS, REGIONAL HUB, REGIONAL HUBS, REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE, REGIONAL NETWORK, REGIONAL RAIL NETWORK, REGIONAL TRAVEL, RELAY, REVENUE COLLECTION, RIVER, ROAD, ROAD CARRIERS, ROAD CORRIDORS, ROAD DENSITY, ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE, ROAD MAINTENANCE, ROAD NETWORK, ROAD QUALITY, ROAD TRANSPORT, ROADS, ROLLING STOCK, ROUTE, ROUTES, RUNWAY, SAFETY, SAFETY OVERSIGHT, SANITATION, SEAT CAPACITY, SERVICE RELIABILITY, SHARING, SHIPPERS, SHIPPING, SHIPPING LINES, SPEED, SPEEDS, SQUARE, SURFACE TRANSPORT, SURFACE TRANSPORTATION, TAXIS, TERMINAL, TERMINAL FACILITIES, TERMINALS, TOLL, TOLL ROAD, TOLL ROAD CONCESSIONS, TONNAGE, TRADE FACILITATION, TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC DENSITY, TRAFFIC FLOWS, TRAFFIC GROWTH, TRAFFIC LEVELS, TRAFFIC PATTERNS, TRAFFIC VOLUMES, TRAINS, TRANSIT, TRANSIT CORRIDORS, TRANSIT TRADE, TRANSMISSION CAPACITY, TRANSPORT ALTERNATIVES, TRANSPORT CAPACITY, TRANSPORT CORRIDORS, TRANSPORT COSTS, TRANSPORT MARKET, TRANSPORT OF GOODS, TRANSPORT OPERATORS, TRANSPORT SAFETY, TRANSPORT SECTOR, TRANSPORT SYSTEMS, TRANSPORT TARIFFS, TRANSPORTATION, TRANSSHIPMENT, TRAVEL COSTS, TRAVEL TIME, TRIP, TRIPS, TRUCK PROCESSING, TRUCKING, TRUCKS, TURBO-PROP, UPPER, UTILITIES, VEHICLE, VEHICLE MILEAGE, VEHICLES, VELOCITY, VOLUME OF TRAFFIC, WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20111205145616 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3666
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