World Bank calls for more investment in Africa's transport sector

A top World Bank official has advised African countries to invest more in the transport sector which plays an important role in ending the extreme poverty on the continent, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Thursday.

World Bank senior transport specialist Justin Runji, who is currently working on the road sector in Zambia, Kenya and Burundi, said the transport was big business and an important catalyst for spurring economic development in Africa.

According to him, the road network was one of sub-Saharan Africa's largest assets, carrying over 80 percent of passengers and over 5 percent of freight traffic which needed to be properly harnessed.

The World Bank official however expressed concern that in the recent past, some donors have withdrawn their support to the transport sector in Africa while others were showing preference for mega projects.

"These trends suggest that countries have to be more prepared to take responsibility of their road networks. Road funds derive over 60 percent of their user revenue from petroleum-based fuels, but this source of revenue is constantly under threat," he was quoted as saying by the paper.

The World Bank, he said, invested about seven billion U.S. dollars in sub-Saharan Africa's transport and information communication technology-related operations last year. Endi