The road sectors of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are seeking new ways to secure funding for infrastructure construction and maintenance in the face of increasingly scarce funds available from state budgets.
One of the mechanisms that is taking shape in various parts of the region is the user-pays policy, which translates into the installation of toll stations on roads and/or bridges, a strategy that, however, has not yet met with the peaceful acceptance of motorists and other sectors of society.
Among the pioneer countries in this modality in the region is Zambia, but the measure continues to experience some dispute, as assumed by the president of the Road Fund of this country, Wallece Mumba.
Speaking a few days ago to “Notícias” in Lusaka, Mumba said that the collection of toll fees has allowed the country to make significant progress in improving and building the country’s road network, whose quality and diversification does not go unnoticed to any citizen visiting the land of Kenneth Kaunda.
One of the ways that has minimized the objections of motorists and society in general is the constant awareness and explanation to citizens about the importance of paying road use fees.
The responsible person highlighted that the clarity of the information provided in the interaction with the users and the transparency regarding the funds collected and their application are fundamental to convince the need for each one to pay to circulate in a certain road.
The experiment is having the same results in Lesotho. Mkeleketse Makara, who heads the Road Fund in the mountain kingdom, pointed to tolls as the best way to ensure quality and expansion of the road network in the face of limited government funding.
However, he recognized the delicacy of the fact that it is the Road Fund that collects the amount and its application is done by another entity, which defines the priorities and types of interventions to be done.
In this sense, he recommended that the connection between the two institutions be strict and that transparency and communication with the public be strengthened.
The two leaders were speaking at a ceremony held on Friday in Lusaka, where Mozambique assumed the chairmanship of the SADC focal group of the Association of Road Maintenance Funds in Africa.
The president of the Road Fund, Angelo Macuacua, said that in this mandate that runs until April 2023 will bet on the promotion of regional road corridors and the joint search for funding, instead of the unilateral strategy that has been used by countries. Strengthening technical road teams on best practices for project design, mobilization and application of funding is another front.
Mozambique assumed the leadership of the regional body the same week the World Bank approved $380 million in funding for a project to improve mobility and trade facilitation between the country and neighboring Malawi. In the country, the funds will be applied in the Nacala, Beira and Maputo corridors.
