Resource information
In most of the Sub-Saharan African (SSA)
countries railways have played, throughout history, a key
part in the economic development maintaining a dominant role
in transporting freight and passengers at low costs. During
the last 50 years, the road transport in the region as
throughout the world has expanded rapidly due to the
aggressive development of the automobile industry. African
governments have invested mainly in road infrastructure
improvement, neglecting railways. The liberalization in road
transport and the slow response of railways to adapt to the
new market conditions resulted in dramatic traffic decline
in rail transport. By 1990 most of the Sub-Saharan African
railways were in virtual bankruptcy, requiring permanent
cash injection and large investments in infrastructure and
rolling stock. To address the crisis, many governments have
considered concessions as a solution, and between the
mid-1990s and 2010 most of the railways were concessioned.
Currently, more than 70 percent of the rail transport
activities in the region (excluding South Africa) are
managed by private operators. The World Bank Group (IDA and
IFC) has supported most concession processes through grants
and loans, investing since 1996 more than one billion
dollars to support the efforts of the governments and
private operators. The recommendations suggested in the
present document are based on a comprehensive approach for
improving the performance of the railway sector in parallel
with the enhancement of the governance of the transport
sector. The rhythm of implementation of such a complex set
of recommendations may vary from country to country
depending on local conditions and will require, in any case,
a long period of time. Nevertheless, the dramatic status of
the railway transport sector in SSA requires rapid actions.
In this respect, the present work includes a selected list
of most urgent recommendations to be implemented in the
first stage. The way ahead for improving the performance of
railways in Sub-Saharan Africa is a complex endeavor that
cannot be achieved without the strong involvement of the
private sector.
