NTU provided technical assistance to the African Union Commission for the implementation of the EDF funded “Support to the Transport Sector Development Programme” Lot 1: Support to the African Union Commission (AUC) in Transport Policy Harmonization and Transport Sector Services Development & Support to PIDA PAP for the Start-up of Smart Corridor Activities (2015-2017), with a budget of EUR 2.3 million. Overall, the programme´s objective was to contribute to the achievement of inclusive political, economic and social development through the enhancement of the regional integration of ACP countries, with focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, and to provide support for achieving the SDGs.
The specific objective of the programme is to strengthen the capacity to finance, regulate, organize, promote and improve inter-regional and continental transport infrastructure and services through interconnectivity across regions by promoting:
- Safe trans-boundary transport corridors
- Harmonized transport policies.
For this, NTU provided technical assistance to the AUC Department of Infrastructure and Energy, acting as the Delegated Regional Authorizing Officer for the Transport Sector Policy Support Programme, focussed on increasing the sector management capacities and facilitating the implementation of PIDA-PAP (Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa - Priority Action Plan).
How we did it
Among other activities, NTU assisted the African Union Commission to organize and lead a series of regional dissemination workshops. The objective of these workshops was to disseminate the Intergovernmental Agreement on Harmonization of road standards and norms and the African Road Safety Charter. NTU brough together experts from the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States of the African Union in order to present them the documents adopted by the African Union.
The regional workshops were organized in three sessions of two days each. Each session was intended for a group of countries. The main objectives of the workshop were:
- Introduce the norms and standards related to Trans African Highways to the key stakeholders;
- Propose a schedule for expediting the ratification of these instruments by the Member States;
- Develop an action plan for the implementation of the harmonised TAHS norms and standards;
- Present the African Road Safety Action Plan;
- Review the progress of the implementation of the African Road Safety Action Plan;
- Present the African Road Safety Charter;
- Develop a roadmap for the implementation of the African Road Safety Charter.
Impact
The key outcomes of the workshop were:
- Strong ownership of TAHs norms and standards by participants;
- Deep comprehension of the African Road Safety Charter by the participants;
- Action plan for the implementation of the harmonisation of TAHs norms standards established;
- Timetable for the acceleration of the ratification of these instruments;
- Roadmap for the effective implementation of the African Road Safety Charter developed.
Overall, the establishment of harmonized norms and standards for road transport in Africa promote regional integration and intra-African trade. While the African Road Safety Charter serves as a policy framework to reduce the road traffic crashes.
Attendees to the Steering Committee in Addis Ababa
Attendees to the Steering Committee in Addis Ababa