EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. Roads are essential for regional integration, economic growth, social development, effective public administration and security. In sub-Saharan Africa, roads are the dominant mode of passenger and freight transport, accounting for more than 80 % of total movements of goods and services and transport needs are growing rapidly.

II. The Commission is one of the leading donors in the road sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Road transport is a focal sector for the EDF cooperation strategy with most sub-Saharan African countries. Financially, it is by far the most important sector, with about 7400 million euro in EDF commitments made in this region over the period from 1995 to 2011.

III. The Court examined whether the EDF has contributed to sustainability of the road network in sub-Saharan Africa effectively; whether the road infrastructure supported by the EDF is sustainable; and whether the Commission effectively promotes the sustainability of road infrastructure. The audit focused on the technical, financial and institutional sustainability of road transport infrastructure and looked at 48 programmes financed since 1995 under the 8th, 9th and 10th EDFs in six partner countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Tanzania and Zambia. During their visits, the auditors inspected about 2400 km of EDF-funded roads.

IV. The Court concludes that the Commission is partially effective in its support for a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa.

V. Partner countries visited by the Court do not do enough to ensure the sustainability of road infrastructure. In all partner countries visited by the Court, roads are affected to varying degrees by premature deterioration. Most of these countries have adopted institutional reforms, notably entailing the creation of road funds and road agencies, and made significant progress on road maintenance. However, many challenges remain to be addressed in all of them to ensure appropriate maintenance. Although spending on road maintenance has increased over time in all the partner countries visited by the Court, it remains insufficient to cover the needs. One main reason is the priority given in national budgets to the rehabilitation and upgrading of the road network rather than to maintenance.

VI. Most of the partner countries visited by the Court have failed to demonstrate sufficient commitment to implementing effective measures aimed at reducing the incidence of vehicle overloading, which has an important impact on road life expectancy and maintenance costs. Regional and national legislation on axle loads is not enforced effectively and too little attention is given to the root causes of vehicle overloading, such as illicit arrangements to share the market between road transport service providers, informal road controls and the lack of competitiveness of other transport modes, notably railways.

VII. The Commission is partially effective in promoting the adoption and implementation of the sector policy reforms that are required to address the existing obstacles to a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa. The Commission’s use of the conditions attached to its financial support has a moderate incentive effect. This also has an impact on policy dialogue, which the Commission does not use in to its full potential, although this dialogue has been instrumental in promoting progress in some areas, notably where the institutional framework and road maintenance funding are concerned. Technical cooperation funded by the Commission has been less successful than could be expected.

VIII. The Court recommends that in a number of respects the Commission should better focus EDF resources and make better use of conditions attached to its programmes, policy dialogue with the partner countries’ governments and technical cooperation, so as to maximise the effectiveness of the development support provided by the EDF towards a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa.

INTRODUCTION

THE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF A ROAD NETWORK THAT MEETS ITS NEEDS IS A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

1. Roads and other transport infrastructure are essential for regional integration, economic growth, social development, effective public administration and security. In sub-Saharan Africa, roads are the dominant mode of passenger and freight transport, accounting for more than 80 % of total movements of goods and services, and transport needs are growing rapidly in parallel with the increase in population, urbanisation and trade [1].

2. Sub-Saharan Africa has a much lower density of paved roads than other regions [2], and the economies of many countries, notably those that are landlocked, depend heavily on a relatively small number of international corridors where most of the traffic is concentrated. However, though physically sparse, the road network is relatively extensive when compared to population size and national income levels [3]. The budgetary burden of maintenance is therefore high, and furthermore it has risen significantly over the last few years, mainly as a result of the upward trend in oil prices and insufficient competition among works contractors.

3. Most sub-Saharan African paved roads are designed for a life expectancy of 15 years, on condition that routine maintenance, which includes the yearly clearing of water drainage channels, the cutting of vegetation and pothole repairs, is carried out. After this period, roads need to be rehabilitated [4]. The life expectancy of a road can be extended from 15 to 20 years, or even longer, if periodic maintenance, i.e. resurfacing [5], is carried out every 8 to 10 years. The design of roads takes account of the expected volume of traffic and a maximum axle load of 13 tonnes. Roads deteriorate much faster when actual axle loads are higher, as the degree of deterioration increases exponentially with the degree of overloading.

THE EDF PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN ROAD SECTOR

4. The European Development Fund (EDF) is the main instrument for providing European Union aid for development cooperation in the African, Caribbean and Pacific states and overseas countries and territories. The EDF is managed by the Commission, which is one of the leading donors in the road sector in sub-Saharan Africa [6]. Road transport is a focal sector for the EDF cooperation strategy with most sub-Saharan African countries. It is the main EDF cooperation sector, with about 7400 million euro in EDF commitments made in this region over the period from 1995 to 2011 (see Annex I).

5. The Commission’s communication of July 2000 sets the principles that, in the Commission’s view, should guide cooperation with non-EU countries in the transport sector [7]. It outlines a comprehensive sectoral approach for all transport modes and provides a strategy for the delivery of sustainable transport. It stresses that creating sustainable transport in the developing countries depends on a commitment to reform the governance of the sector and affordable transport strategies. This means in particular that transport must receive a proper share of national budgets, which should give priority to maintenance.

6. EDF intervention in the road transport sector in sub-Saharan Africa is implemented mainly through projects [8], mostly to fund the construction, upgrading [9] and/or rehabilitation of main roads. The Commission also provides road sector budget support [10] in countries where it considers well-defined sectoral policies to be in place. Under the 9th EDF, such programmes were implemented in Ethiopia and Zambia. Under the 10th EDF, financing agreements have been signed so far with Benin, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia [11]. Finally, EDF support can be combined with commercial loans, for instance from the European Investment Bank; in such cases part of the EDF contribution is provided through the EU–Africa Partnership on Infrastructure and takes the form of grants, technical assistance or interest rate subsidies. This funding mechanism was used in Cameroon and Zambia.

AUDIT SCOPE AND APPROACH

7. The Court sought to assess whether the EDF has contributed effectively to the sustainability of the road network in sub-Saharan Africa and focused on two questions:

(a) Is the road infrastructure supported by the EDF sustainable?

(b) Does the Commission promote the sustainability of road infrastructure effectively?

8. The audit addressed the technical, financial and institutional sustainability of road transport infrastructure in sub-Saharan countries. It looked at programmes financed since 1995 under the 8th, 9th and 10th EDFs.

9. The audit was carried out between April 2011 and January 2012. It involved documentary reviews, interviews with staff at Commission headquarters and visits to six countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Tanzania and Zambia (see Annex II). These countries were selected on the basis of four criteria: materiality of EDF expenditure, geographical coverage of at least three regions in Africa, countries involving different types of programmes and neighbouring countries to cover regional aspects. EDF commitments in the road sector in the visited countries since 1995 amount to 1959 million euro, i.e. 26,5 % of EDF commitments in this sector in sub-Saharan Africa for this period. During their visits, the auditors interviewed EU delegation staff, representatives of national authorities (such as ministries of infrastructure, road funds, road agencies, statistical offices and supreme audit institutions) and other donors. They examined 48 programmes and visually inspected about 2400 km of EDF-funded roads to assess the road condition and identify possible road deteriorations and their main causes.

OBSERVATIONS

ALTHOUGH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE, THE SUB-SAHARAN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT YET SUSTAINABLE

10. The Court examined whether sub-Saharan African roads are free of premature deterioration and whether the partner countries appropriately maintain their road infrastructure and implement effective measures against vehicle overloading.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN ROADS DETERIORATE FASTER THAN EXPECTED

11. More than two thirds of the roads inspected by the Court in the six countries visited are in fair to very good condition and can still be used as intended (see fourth column in Annex III), but a high proportion is affected to varying degrees by premature deterioration (see fifth column in Annex III). In some cases, damage was limited to specific sections; in other cases it was more widespread. The main causes are vehicle overloading (which causes rutting [12], cracks and ravelling [13]), inadequate maintenance and, to a lesser extent, poor design or construction. As a result, the life expectancy of these roads is reduced.

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OVERLOADED VEHICLE

12. In Benin, Burkina Faso and Chad, the main cause of the premature deterioration of roads is vehicle overloading. Overloading is a much less serious problem in Tanzania and Zambia. The highest rates of excessive axle loads were found in Benin (45,9 %) [14] and Burkina Faso (22,3 %) [15]. A study financed by the EDF concluded that the life expectancy of 44 % of the paved network in Burkina Faso is down from 15 to less than 4 years due to persistent vehicle overloading [16].

13. The other main cause of premature deterioration of the road network is inadequate road maintenance. Routine maintenance is often carried out late. For instance, drainage channels are frequently not cleared before the rainy season, which may lead to serious road deterioration. In Cameroon, the Court found that poor drainage meant that sections of roads were washed away, requiring substantial, and more expensive, emergency repairs. In Benin and Chad, pothole repairs and the cutting of roadside vegetation are not carried out in a timely manner. This reduces the service level of roads and rapidly increases future maintenance needs. The periodic maintenance of roads inspected was not carried out as required.

14. In some sections of the roads inspected, premature deterioration occurred because of poor design or construction. While the increased traffic in Benin and Burkina Faso caused by the political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire could not be anticipated, studies had in some other cases under-estimated the expected traffic growth. The Court has already examined the performance of infrastructure works financed by the EDF, in particular the quality of studies [17].

15. Annex III provides an overview of the Court’s on-site inspection findings. Annexes IV to IX contain maps of the six countries visited showing the road infrastructure projects that have been financed since the 7th EDF and present in more detail the findings of the Court’s on-site inspections.

PARTNER COUNTRIES COULD DO MORE TO IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

PARTNER COUNTRIES NEED TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE ROAD MAINTENANCE

16. The partner countries have made significant progress towards setting up an appropriate general institutional framework with a clear separation of duties between ministries and dedicated road agencies. Road funds have been established in all the countries visited to collect and manage the road maintenance budget. This has been encouraged and supported by the development partners, including the Commission, to ensure a steady flow of funds for road maintenance. In Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Zambia, road funds do not have an independent source of funding. Road user charges collected are channelled through the government budget, which meant that the corresponding budgetary appropriations were not allocated for this purpose or that funds were transferred with delays.

17. Tanzania and Zambia have functioning road agencies that are responsible for the programming, contracting and supervision of maintenance works [18]. In Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Chad, this is under the responsibility of the relevant ministries, which, compared with road agencies, take more time to conclude contracts due to limited administrative capacity and more cumbersome tendering procedures. As a result, road maintenance is carried out late or incompletely.

18. The administrations of the partner countries suffer from capacity weaknesses that affect their ability to organise studies, collect data on the condition of roads, programme road maintenance in accordance with needs, manage works contracts and supervise maintenance. With the exception of Chad, the countries visited have set up clear and appropriate priority criteria for the programming of road maintenance, but in practice programming is not based on a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of road conditions and needs in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Chad.

19. In all six countries, most maintenance is outsourced to private companies. Many companies lack the necessary equipment, skilled labour and financial capacity to produce quality work. In Benin, for instance, pothole repairs were below standard in a quarter of the cases examined.

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ROUTINE ROAD MAINTENANCE

20. Spending on road maintenance has been increasing in all the countries visited but is still insufficient to maintain the roads. According to the information provided by the national authorities, the funding coverage of the established maintenance needs ranges from 38 % in Burkina Faso to 68 % in Cameroon. This is partly due to shortcomings in the collection of earmarked taxes. However, the main reason for the considerable financing gap is the high priority given in the partner countries’ national budgets towards rehabilitating and upgrading the road network. In the countries visited, maintenance accounts on average for only a quarter of road sector spending [19].

21. The main impact of this financing gap is that periodic maintenance is either carried out late or not carried out at all. Periodic maintenance tends also to be neglected by the partner countries because the need for maintenance is not visible: roads can still be used as intended even though resurfacing is necessary to prevent them rapidly requiring more expensive intervention, such as rehabilitation and possibly reconstruction. To some extent, the financing gap is covered by the development partners, including the Commission, which finance periodic maintenance as well as rehabilitation and reconstruction. The lack of appropriate periodic maintenance poses a significant risk to the sustainability of the road networks in these countries. It also results in more expensive road rehabilitations and fewer budgetary resources available for upgrading and expanding the road network, which is also crucial for the development of these countries.

PARTNER COUNTRIES NEED TO DEMONSTRATE MORE COMMITMENT TO REDUCING VEHICLE OVERLOADING

22. Various African regional organisations have adopted legislation that aims to harmonise national transport policies and enforce modalities, notably concerning maximum axle loads. However, there are differences between regional legislations, and their implementation by the national authorities varies and is overall lagging behind [20].

(a) Benin and Burkina Faso have shown insufficient commitment to effectively tackling vehicle overloading. The network of weighbridges is not suitable for axle load control and does not ensure adequate national coverage, the offloading [21] policy is not applied and the fines imposed are too low to have a deterrent effect. Insufficient efforts are made to address the root causes of vehicle overloading, notably the high transport prices due to stoppage times at borders, informal road barriers [22], the inefficient use of the transport capacity due to illicit arrangements between transport operators to share the market [23] and the lack of competitiveness of other transport modes, notably railways [24].

(b) Cameroon and Chad have adopted appropriate policies and overall have adequate vehicle control equipment. However, these policies are not implemented effectively and constraints hampering the effectiveness of overloading regulations — such as the high transport prices and oversized vehicles — are insufficiently addressed.

(c) Tanzania and Zambia have an appropriate national regulatory framework and approach that includes systematic controls thanks to a developed network of weighbridges, the imposition of fines and the mandatory offloading of non-compliant vehicles. The rate of axle overloading is 1,6 % [25] in Tanzania and 3,3 % [26] in Zambia. Road deterioration due to vehicle overloading is much less severe in these two countries than in the other four (see paragraph 12) but there is scope for improved data collection and analysis, and expanding and upgrading the weighbridge infrastructure.

THERE IS ROOM FOR THE COMMISSION TO BETTER PROMOTE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

23. The Commission’s programmes involve not only the funding of road infrastructure or the disbursement of sector budget support but also three other components which have to be combined appropriately to maximise the chances that EDF funds are well spent.

(a) Establishing conditions which are linked to the programme objectives and agreed with the partner country. Sector budget support programmes also include a variable tranche mechanism that reflects the growing emphasis on managing for results. This mechanism is meant to provide an incentive to the partner country, since the amount of the variable tranche to be paid depends on the extent to which the targets for selected performance indicators have been achieved.

(b) Policy dialogue with the government of the partner country on the definition and implementation of appropriate sector policies and strategies for achieving sustainable road transport.

(c) Technical cooperation to help the partner country strengthen its policy making and management capacity, and the capacity of private companies involved in maintenance.

24. This section considers whether the Commission effectively promotes the sustainability of road infrastructure. The Court examined whether:

(a) the programme conditions agreed between the Commission and partner countries are relevant and upheld;

(b) in its policy dialogue the Commission addresses the main policy weaknesses and reacts in a timely and appropriate manner where the partner country’s commitment to progress is not satisfactory; and

(c) the technical cooperation provided under EDF support programmes focuses on the main institutional capacity needs and delivers the intended results.

CONDITIONALITY USED BY THE COMMISSION HAS A MODERATE EFFECT

THE COMMISSION’S APPROACH TO THE USE OF CONDITIONS

25. Sector budget support programmes examined by the Court set as a general condition the implementation of road sector policy reforms but frequently do not indicate clearly how satisfactory progress is to be assessed [27]. It is subsequently difficult for the Commission to assess in a structured manner whether the condition has been met. The Commission’s position in policy dialogue is also weakened (see paragraphs 34 to 39 (d)).

26. The performance indicators set for the variable tranches of sector budget support (see paragraph 23 (a)) are relevant but often affected by problems of data reliability or unrealistic targets [27]. In Tanzania, for instance, the road agency’s management objectives are less ambitious than those defined in the EDF sector budget support programme, which indicates either that the latter do not provide the necessary incentive to the partner country or that they are overly optimistic.

27. For road infrastructure investment projects, the Commission uses conditions in a way that gives partner countries little incentive to comply with them. The conditions set are not legally binding but presented in the financing agreements as "accompanying measures" to be taken up by the partner country. In practice, the Commission generally endorses works contracts between partner countries and contractors regardless of whether these accompanying measures have been taken. It is then under an obligation to pay EDF money under these contracts, and it has little leverage to compel the partner country to comply with the conditions. The Commission rarely sets preconditions which must be met before it will agree to sign a financing agreement, launch tendering for works or endorse a works contract. In the few cases in which the Commission has adopted this approach, it has proved more effective (see Boxes 1 and 2).

BOX 1

THE COMMISSION’S USE OF CLEAR PRECONDITIONS FOR EDF SUPPORT IN BURKINA FASO

Following the lack of progress in the fight against vehicle overloading, the Commission identified clear and relevant measures to be taken concerning:

the use for overload controls of existing weighbridges at the borders;

the construction of six new weighbridges;

the operation of the body newly established to enforce overloading legislation.

The need for these measures was discussed by the development partners and the partner country during the 2009 joint annual review. It was agreed that the measures would be implemented by March 2010. As this was not done, the Commission decided to postpone signing the financing agreement for a new road infrastructure investment project [28] until the government took the necessary action. Although delayed, this was ultimately successful, and the financing agreement was signed in February 2011.

BOX 2

THE COMMISSION’S USE OF CLEAR PRECONDITIONS FOR EDF SUPPORT IN CAMEROON

Some road support programmes under the 9th and 10th EDFs included conditions with which the government had to comply before the Commission would launch the procurement procedure for roadworks. These conditions related to clearly identified issues, such as the government’s annual financial allocation to road maintenance and the adoption of several policy reform measures before a given deadline. The conditions have since been met and the road works could begin.

CONDITIONS IN RESPECT OF ROAD MAINTENANCE

28. The EDF-funded projects examined by the Court contained few conditions about institutional reform [29]. In Benin and Burkina Faso, despite the important challenges in this area, no such conditions have been set. In the other countries visited, conditions set were relevant and upheld. In Zambia, for instance, a road fund [30] and road agency [31] have been established, and fuel levies are collected on time and released in full to the road fund. However, the conditions did not address some main institutional weaknesses, such as, in Tanzania, the road agency’s lack of autonomy, its weak budgetary control and supervision and the limited capacity of local government authorities to maintain rural roads.

29. When attaching conditions to its intervention, the Commission pays considerable attention to the need for the partner countries to increase their financial allocation to road maintenance. This contributed, for instance, to resolving the persistent problem of arrears in treasury payments to the road fund in Benin and Zambia. It also significantly reduced the evasion of diesel fuel levies in Tanzania. In all the countries visited by the Court, spending on maintenance has significantly increased over the last decade. However, it is not yet sufficient to keep roads in good repair and the Commission has not addressed the question of the high priority given by many national budgets to upgrading and rehabilitating the road network, rather than to the adequate maintenance of the existing network. Often the conditions are also insufficiently precise in terms of objective and timing, although improvements have more recently been made in this respect in Burkina Faso, Chad and Zambia.

CONDITIONS IN RESPECT OF VEHICLE OVERLOADING

30. Despite the magnitude of this problem for the sustainability of the road infrastructure in most of these countries (see paragraph 12), the Commission has given insufficient attention to overloading when setting conditions to its programmes. Some programmes do include a few such conditions but, with the exception of Burkina Faso, the Commission has not followed a systematic approach.

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RUTTING CAUSED BY VEHICLE OVERLOADING

31. The conditions are frequently unrealistic, requiring immediate systematic controls and imposition of fines. They are also vague in terms of targets to achieve and timing. They do not allow for an objective assessment of compliance, nor provide the Commission with a good basis for its policy dialogue to promote commitment to reform. One exception is the support programme under the 9th EDF in Chad [32] which specifies the progress to be made in terms of more control points, a mobile control brigade and updated legislation.

32. In Benin, where the problem of vehicle overloading is particularly severe, the Commission’s recent sector budget support programme [33] sets targets that address the most serious cases of overloading [34]. This approach is not consistent with the Commission’s approach in other countries of the region to promote the implementation of the regional legislation.

33. With the exception of Cameroon (see Box 3), the Commission has not modified its approach when countries have made insufficient progress in reducing vehicle overloading.

THE COMMISSION DOES NOT USE POLICY DIALOGUE TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL

34. The quality of dialogue varies notably according to the commitment to reform in each partner country, and overall it is only moderately effective. The Commission’s capacity to react firmly and proportionately where progress is not satisfactory is limited by its approach to the use of the conditions attached to its programmes (see paragraphs 25 to 33).

POLICY DIALOGUE ON ROAD MAINTENANCE

35. In most of the countries visited, the Commission makes significant efforts to nurture comprehensive policy dialogue on road maintenance. It addresses relevant issues and makes useful recommendations. Dialogue has been instrumental in particular in the creation of road funds and road agencies and improvements in budgetary management, programming of road maintenance and roadwork supervision.

BOX 3

THE FOCUSING OF EDF SUPPORT ON SUSTAINABILITY OF THE EXISTING ROAD NETWORK IN CAMEROON

The 2004 mid-term review of the 9th EDF identified deterioration in the condition of the road network. Only 22 % of the network was found to be in good condition, compared to 43 % 5 years earlier. Insufficient road maintenance was identified as the major cause of the rapid deterioration of the road network. In view of this downward trend, the Commission decided to maintain the envelope allocated to the transport sector but to modify its focus from the construction of a new road — as initially agreed — to the rehabilitation of existing roads. This helped to improve the overall condition of the road network. Part of these funds also served to finance the construction and rehabilitation of weighbridges in order to improve controls of vehicle overloading, an important cause of the premature deterioration of road infrastructure. Through this firm and pragmatic reaction, the Commission sent a message that adequate road maintenance and a commitment to reducing overloading were clear priorities for its support.

36. A key issue consistently addressed by the Commission in its policy dialogue with all partner countries is the insufficient allocation of financial resources to road maintenance (see paragraph 20). Together with those of other development partners, the Commission’s efforts have been instrumental in promoting increased spending on maintenance in most of the partner countries. This has been achieved by focusing on concrete measures such as the timely release in full of road user charges to road funds, an increase in fuel levies, improvements to the collection of earmarked taxes and the search for new sources of funding.

37. However, the Commission has paid little attention to the fact that many partner countries give budgetary priority to upgrading and rehabilitating the road network rather than optimising the existing road infrastructure through adequate maintenance.

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LACK OF ROUTINE MAINTENANCE

38. While policy dialogue has been effective in Burkina Faso, where the government exercises strong ownership of sector policy reform, it has been less the case in other partner countries.

(a) In Cameroon, major institutional reforms agreed with the Commission in 2004 were still pending in 2011. As it did not systematically monitor the implementation of the agreement, the Commission could not react in an appropriate and timely manner.

(b) In Zambia, in coordination with other development partners, the Commission suspended in 2009 its sector budget support programmes because of insufficient progress in policy reforms, in particular in respect of road maintenance. The policy dialogue improved to some extent but the implementation of the agreed action plan remains slow. In 2010, the Commission decided anyway to fund a new important road investment project with no conditions attached to it.

(c) In Chad, policy dialogue is limited because there is no structured framework for dialogue in the transport sector and the Commission does not use joint annual reviews for this purpose. For example, the Commission has not reacted to recent budgetary changes that have led to a significant reduction in the allocation of financial resources to road maintenance.

(d) On the other hand, in Zambia the Commission reacted promptly and appropriately to the government’s lack of commitment and insufficient responsiveness to dialogue (see Box 4).

BOX 4

THE COMMISSION’S EFFECTIVE USE OF POLICY DIALOGUE WHEN THE ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT SHOWED UNSATISFACTORY COMMITMENT TO REFORM

In 2009, the Commission, in coordination with other development partners, suspended most of its funding for the road sector, in particular its sector budget support programmes. The reasons were the government’s unsatisfactory progress towards the objectives of its sector strategy, the insufficient allocation of financial resources to road maintenance and the government’s weak response to policy dialogue. Furthermore, a report by the Auditor General of Zambia of March 2010 had revealed procurement, management and supervision problems as well as commitments made in excess of budgetary appropriations. The suspension of aid programmes sent a strong signal to the government, which became more responsive to policy dialogue. High-level meetings were initiated to discuss how to move towards adopting and implementing a realistic sector strategy and regaining the confidence of development partners. A major achievement was the agreement in December 2010 on short-, medium- and long-term action plans to resolve issues in the sector. However, the Commission’s budget support programmes remain suspended as an appropriate sector strategy has not yet been adopted by the government.

POLICY DIALOGUE ON VEHICLE OVERLOADING

39. The effectiveness of the Commission’s policy dialogue on vehicle overloading varies from country to country and has been fruitful in half of the cases.

(a) It has been fruitful in Zambia thanks to the high priority given by the government to addressing this issue and the good coordination between development partners. This has led to significant improvements and overloading is now a much less serious problem in Zambia than in many other countries. This is also the case in Tanzania, where policy dialogue in this area was not seen to be necessary (see paragraph 22(c)).

(b) In Cameroon, the Commission and other development partners agreed in 2004 with the government on policy reforms to improve overload controls. The dialogue has been effective in particular in respect of the expansion of the control infrastructure, the improvement of data collection and awareness campaigns. These reforms had an impact on the incidence of overloading, which fell from 84 % in 1998 to 13 % in 2011. Further progress is hindered by insufficient partner country commitment to implementing some of the agreed reforms, such as the systematic offloading of overloaded vehicles, the application of fines to vehicles transporting fuel (currently exempt) and the withdrawal of the licences of hauliers that have repeatedly infringed overloading regulations.

(c) Policy dialogue on vehicle overloading in Benin and Burkina Faso is fairly recent. It addresses the main weaknesses but so far with limited success due to the partner countries’ insufficient commitment to adopting and implementing policy reforms (see paragraph 22 (a)). In Benin, the Commission did not respond in a timely and sufficiently firm manner to the lack of progress, for example by suspending the signing of new financing agreements or contracts. In Burkina Faso, the Commission finally took stronger action in 2010 (see Box 1), resulting in the introduction of a vehicle load control system and a new dynamic in the policy dialogue.

(d) In the absence of an appropriate framework (see paragraph 38(c)), policy dialogue on vehicle overloading in Chad has been very limited. Policy issues have barely been addressed by the Commission and little action has been taken by the partner country to address this issue.

TECHNICAL COOPERATION HAS HAD USEFUL BUT LIMITED RESULTS

TECHNICAL COOPERATION ON ROAD MAINTENANCE

40. EDF-funded technical cooperation has addressed relevant institutional capacity weaknesses in the field of road maintenance, although it was in some cases not focusing on the main weaknesses, for instance:

(a) in Burkina Faso, no technical cooperation was provided to support the reform of the road fund, the operational start of the road agency and the strengthening of the private companies’ capacity;

(b) in Cameroon, technical cooperation did not address the cumbersome tendering procedures; and

(c) in Tanzania it did not address the capacity weaknesses of the road agency, the local government authorities and the private companies.

41. In many of the partner countries visited, support focuses on road condition surveys and the setting-up of road databases to improve the reliability of the information on which maintenance programming is based. Technical cooperation has also contributed to the drafting of road sector strategies and improved the supervision of road maintenance. Training activities have been run mainly for ministry, road fund and road agency staff, and in some cases for the staff of private companies involved in road maintenance. They have been well organised and effective. Technical studies in a wide range of areas, such as feasibility studies, public expenditure reviews, and studies of the collection of fuel levies and other taxes or transport intermodality, have provided useful information for policy decision-making.

42. However, difficulties have often hindered the implementation of technical cooperation, so that the funds allocated have been only partially used and the sustainability of results is frequently at risk.

(a) In Benin, the activities planned under the 9th EDF were not carried out as planned, partly due to difficult communication between the experts and their national counterparts and the results were also limited owing to the lack of ownership by the national authorities.

(b) In Chad, a significant amount was allocated to technical cooperation under the 9th EDF but was barely used, owing both to difficulties in attracting and retaining the necessary expertise for work in very difficult conditions and to the national authorities’ limited absorption capacity. The database on the condition of roads is unlikely to be kept up to date owing to the shortage of resources available nationally. The Commission also provided significant financial support for the setting-up of a road agency which is still far from operational despite the government’s claims of political support.

(c) In Cameroon, technical cooperation was effective in strengthening the ministry’s capacity to supervise maintenance works but the planned support to improve the management of tendering had to be cancelled due to the lack of interest by the partner country.

(d) In Tanzania, studies financed by the Commission have led to useful recommendations, for example concerning the allocation of budgetary resources among the road agency and other institutions, which have not yet been implemented.

(e) In Zambia, technical cooperation with the road agency and the road fund has been successful and the results are likely to be sustainable. Technical cooperation with regional offices of the road agency and local road authorities, which are responsible for maintaining the rural road network, has proved less successful.

TECHNICAL COOPERATION ON VEHICLE OVERLOADING

43. Technical cooperation in support of measures aimed at reducing the incidence of vehicle overloading has generally been recent and limited, except in Zambia thanks to the high priority given by the government and the good coordination between development partners.

44. In the other partner countries, under technical cooperation the Commission has however financed very relevant studies. For example:

(a) in Benin, the EDF funded a comprehensive overload survey which is to be used to improve EDF cooperation in addressing this matter;

(b) in Chad, two studies carried out in 2008 contributed to the preparation of a national strategy for overload controls;

(c) a study conducted in 2008 in Burkina Faso was the basis for the roadmap adopted in 2010 by the West African Economic and Monetary Union for the enforcement of the regional legislation;

(d) in Cameroon, the EDF financed audits and diagnostic studies of the overload control system which were useful for the preparation of action plans to improve controls. It has also provided advice and training on more efficient management of the network of weighbridges;

(e) in Tanzania, the Commission is currently preparing a highly relevant programme focusing on improved governance, the management of overload controls and improvements to the network of weighbridges (see Box 5).

BOX 5

THE COMMISSION’S COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT FOR IMPROVED OVERLOAD CONTROLS IN THE EAC REGION

The Commission is preparing a regional programme of support for the development and upgrading of vehicle overload control systems along the central corridor which connects Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. This 16 million euro project is highly relevant for the sustainability of road infrastructure as overloading has been identified as the main cause of premature pavement failure along the main highways in the East African Community (EAC). The project is intended to support ongoing initiatives in the EAC region. It aims to contribute to reduced vehicle overloading by improving legislation, providing a means of enforcement and addressing inefficiencies that favour the practice of overloading. In the first phase, regulations will be reviewed and harmonised in the EAC region and governance issues related to the management of weighbridge stations will be analysed. In the second phase, a detailed design will be prepared for the construction and upgrading of the five to seven weighbridges, which should take place under the third and final phase. The project will also focus on improvements to the governance and management of vehicle overload control systems, with the aim of reducing stop times and improving transportation flow along the central corridor.

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS

45. The Court concludes that the Commission is partially effective in its support for a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa.

46. Partner countries visited by the Court do not do enough to ensure the sustainability of road infrastructure. Roads are affected to varying degrees by premature deterioration. Although most of the partner countries visited have made significant progress on road maintenance, challenges remain in all of them. Institutional reforms have been adopted but many institutional weaknesses remain to be addressed. Although spending on road maintenance has increased over time in all the partner countries visited by the Court, it remains insufficient and maintenance is often carried out late or incompletely. Most of the partner countries have made unsatisfactory progress on vehicle overloading, which has an important impact on road life expectancy and maintenance costs.

47. As one of the leading donors in the road sector, the Commission is partially effective in promoting the adoption and implementation of the policy reforms that are required to address the existing obstacles to a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa. The Commission’s use of the conditions attached to its financial support has a moderate incentive effect. Often the Commission does not react appropriately when partner countries fail to comply with their commitments, which affects its credibility. This also has an impact on policy dialogue, which the Commission does not use to its full potential, although this dialogue has been instrumental in promoting progress in some areas, notably where the institutional framework and road maintenance funding are concerned. Technical cooperation funded by the Commission has been less successful than could be expected.

RECOMMENDATIONS

48. The Court makes the following recommendations with a view to improving the effectiveness of the development support provided by the EDF towards a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa:

RECOMMENDATION 1

ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES

The European External Action Service and the Commission should focus EDF funding in the road sector where the greatest impact can be achieved. To this end, they should:

(a) focus resources to road sectors in partner countries which implement appropriate sector policies for achieving sustainable road transport, with relevant and credible measures for improving road maintenance and addressing vehicle overloading;

(b) focus EDF resources in other countries, in particular those where the EDF has financed substantial road infrastructure investments in the past, on institutional support, maintenance of the existing road network and expansion of the axle load control infrastructure;

(c) where appropriate, raise the leverage effect of EDF resources by combining these grants with loans and promoting private sector participation in financing the upgrading and expansion of the road network.

RECOMMENDATION 2

CONDITIONS AND POLICY DIALOGUE

The Commission should strengthen its use of conditions attached to its programmes and its policy dialogue. To this end, it should:

(a) define clear, measurable and time-bound formal conditions that address the main policy reform needs in relation to road maintenance and vehicle overloading;

(b) where appropriate use preconditions in programming and at the level of individual support programmes by systematically attaching the signature of financing agreements, the launch of tendering for works and the signature of works contracts to the prior fulfilment of conditions;

(c) carry out periodic and structured analyses of the fulfilment of conditions, as well as periodic country road sector evaluations and ex post project evaluations;

(d) systematically follow up its conclusions concerning the fulfilment of conditions and the results of evaluations, focusing on the reasons why progress may not have been made according to plan and the necessary remedial measures;

(e) respond firmly, proportionately and in a timely manner where governments show unsatisfactory commitment to addressing the issues raised and recommendations made by the Commission, including by suspending or cancelling EDF funding to individual programmes or the road sector as a whole.

RECOMMENDATION 3

TECHNICAL COOPERATION

In accordance with its strategy to improve the effectiveness of its assistance for capacity development [35], the Commission should:

(a) endeavour to ensure that there is credible government ownership of the planned activities, evidenced by an appropriate level of human and budgetary resources available nationally both during and after the programme;

(b) increase its focus on the root causes of vehicle overloading, such as obstacles to a normally functioning transport market;

(c) where needed, provide support to help partner countries perform sound economic analysis for deciding on the appropriate balance to be ensured between the maintenance and the expansion of their road network, taking into account all the relevant economic, social, environmental, financial, technical and operational criteria.

This Report was adopted by Chamber III, headed by Mr Karel PINXTEN, Member of the Court of Auditors, in Luxembourg at its meeting of 16 October 2012.

For the Court of Auditors

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Vítor Manuel da Silva Caldeira

President

[1] European Commission, Directorate-General for Development and Cooperation — EuropeAid, European Development Cooperation in Infrastructure: a review of the past twelve years, 2008, p. 6.

[2] Sub-Saharan Africa has 204 kilometres of road per thousand square kilometres of land area compared to a world average of 944 kilometers per thousand square kilometres. Source: "The burden of maintenance: roads in sub-Saharan Africa", Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic, June 2008, The World Bank, Washington.

[3] Sub-Saharan Africa has a total road network of 6,55 kilometers per million US dollars of gross domestic product compared to a world average of 3,47 kilometres per million US dollars of gross domestic product. Source: "The burden of maintenance: roads in sub-Saharan Africa", Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic, June 2008.

[4] Works aimed at the restoration of the infrastructure when it has deteriorated beyond the condition at which overlaying (i.e. maintenance) is no longer a satisfactory engineering alternative. This implies also reconstruction of the road body (base and sub-base).

[5] Covering an existing road with a new wearing course or removing the top layer of the road and applying a new wearing course.

[6] Following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, the European External Action Service (EEAS) was launched on 1 December 2010. The EEAS prepares, jointly with relevant Commission services, the Commission decisions for country allocations, country and regional strategy papers and national and regional indicative programmes as part of the programming cycle for most external action instruments.

[7] COM(2000) 422 final of 6 July 2000 — Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament promoting sustainable transport in development cooperation. The Council welcomed this communication on 31 May 2001, Note 9985/01.

[8] Between 1995 and 2011, commitments for projects amounted to 6676 million euro, i.e. about 90 % of total commitments.

[9] Works aimed at providing additional capacity to the road both in terms of traffic and safety. Typical examples are paving of gravel roads or strengthening of existing pavement.

[10] Between 1995 and 2011, commitments for road sector budget programmes amounted to 715 million euro, i.e. about 10 % of total commitments.

[11] A financing agreement for providing sector budget support in Rwanda is under preparation.

[12] A sunken groove in the road surface made by the passage of vehicles.

[13] Road surface breaking up in patches.

[14] "Campagne de pesage des charges à l’essieu, rapport final", Hydroplan, December 2006.

[15] "Rapport sur les activités de contrôle de la charge à l’essieu et du PTAC dans les postes frontaliers du 1er janvier au 31 mars 2011, Ministère des transports, des postes et de l’économie numérique".

[16] "Étude des impacts de la réduction des charges des véhicules poids lourds", October 2008.

[17] Special Report No 8/2003 concerning the execution of infrastructure work financed by the EDF (OJ C 181, 31.7.2003).

[18] These road agencies nevertheless still lack the desired autonomy to take decisions on the programming of maintenance and the allocation of maintenance funding.

[19] The study "The burden of maintenance: roads in sub-Saharan Africa", June 2008, The World Bank, Washington, concluded that investments account for two thirds of total spending. Based on practice elsewhere in the world, the balance between investment and maintenance should be closer to 50/50.

[20] See Special Report No 18/2009 on the effectiveness of EDF support for regional economic integration in east Africa and west Africa (http://eca.europa.eu).

[21] Taking excess load off a vehicle.

[22] An informal road barrier is a form of corruption whereby traffic is stopped to carry out illicit controls and collect bribes.

[23] Consequently, the vehicle overloading is not the result of a shortage of available transport capacity.

[24] See in particular "Transport prices and costs in Africa: a review of the main international corridors", Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic, July 2008 and "Africa’s infrastructure: a time for transformation", World Bank, 2010.

[25] Overload statistics 2009/2010, TANROAD.

[26] Axle load control programme — Impact assessment survey report, Road Development Agency, 2008.

[27] Three out of the four programmes examined by the Court.

[28] The programme "Appui sectoriel infrastructures et transports".

[29] 31 out of the 48 projects examined by the Court did not contain conditions.

[30] National Road Fund Agency.

[31] Road Development Agency.

[32] The 2005 programme "Appui à la politique sectorielle des transports: entretien routier et axes économiques".

[33] The 2009 programme "Appui au secteur des transports".

[34] Vehicles with at least one axle load in excess of 20 tonnes.

[35] A backbone strategy — reforming technical cooperation and project implementation units for external aid provided by the European Commission, July 2008.

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ANNEX I

EDF COMMITMENTS IN THE ROAD SECTOR IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, 1995–2011

COUNTRY | (euro) |

Mali Benin Niger Burkina Faso Ghana Guinea Senegal Mauritania Sierra Leone Chad Côte d'Ivoire Guinea-Bissau Liberia Cape Verde Togo Gambia | 419598326 347682270 320368922 312101911 280618638 273105333 242057572 190880748 166933430 72000000 70000000 69182042 60200000 22905117 2676753 697195 |

Total west Africa | 2851008259 |

Ethiopia Uganda Tanzania Kenya Djibouti Eritrea Somalia | 669898636 466664139 353003422 323003402 53608497 39830000 3800000 |

Total east Africa | 1909808096 |

Madagascar Mozambique Zambia Malawi Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo (Brazzaville) Lesotho Comoros Angola Namibia Mauritius Swaziland | 392145169 368404503 288358090 174425298 148028097 67590000 40251098 26873099 25044130 21958898 3782617 1489228 |

Total southern Africa | 1558350225 |

Cameroon Chad Burundi Rwanda Central African Republic Gabon Sao Tome and Principe Equatorial Guinea | 359118520 264035490 146658963 138566306 67672075 60937496 34832347 80000 |

Total central Africa | 1071901197 |

| |

TOTAL | 7391067778 |

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ANNEX II

COUNTRIES VISITED BY THE COURT

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ANNEX III

OVERVIEW OF THE COURT’S ON-SITE INSPECTION FINDINGS

Country | Road | EDF project | Condition of the road [1] | Premature deterioration |

Benin | Sémé–Porto Novo (12,7 km) | 7th EDF — Road development decided in 1995 and finalised in 2003 — 14,7 million euro | Good | No |

Roads in the town of Parakou (17,3 km) | 7th EDF — Road improvement decided in 1999 and finalised in 2005 — 6,2 million euro | Very good | No |

Natitingou–Porga (101 km) | 8th EDF — Road development decided in 1999 and finalised in 2005 — 26,9 million euro | Fair | Yes |

Main road through Cotonou (7,4 km) | 7th and 8th EDF — Road development decided in 1999 and finalised in 2004 — 22,8 million euro | Good | No |

Dassa–Savé–Parakou, Savalou–Dassa–Bohicon, Porto Novo–Igolo (331 km) | 8th EDF — Periodic maintenance decided in 1999 and finalised in 2004 — 43,8 million euro | Poor/Fair/Good | Yes |

Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou–Koupéla (135 km) | 8th EDF — Periodic maintenance decided in 1998 and finalised in 2002 — 11,3 million euro 9th EDF — Periodic maintenance decided in 2003 and finalised in 2007 — 35,6 million euro | Good | Yes |

Bobo Dioulasso–Boromo (169 km) | 8th EDF — Periodic maintenance decided in 1998 and finalised in 2003 — 13,2 million euro 9th EDF — Periodic maintenance decided in 2003 and finalised in 2008 — 79,4 million euro | Good | Yes |

Cameroon | Yaoundé–Ayos (126 km) | 8th EDF — Road rehabilitation decided in 1999 and finalised in 2005 — 13,1 million euro | Fair | No |

Bertoua–Garoua Boulaï (250 km) | 7th EDF — Road rehabilitation decided in 1997 and finalised in 2002 — 71,3 million euro | Fair | No |

N’Gaoundéré–Touboro (265 km) | 8th EDF — Road construction decided in 1998 and finalised in 2004 — 91,2 million euro | Good | No |

Garoua–Figuil (90 km) | 9th EDF — Road rehabilitation decided in 2007 and finalised in 2010 — 38,0 million euro | Good | Yes |

Chad | Eré–Kélo (48 km) | 7th EDF — Road construction decided in 1996 and finalised in 2001 — 11,8 million euro | Poor | Yes |

Kélo–Moundou (108 km) | 8th ED — Road construction decided in 2000 and finalised in 2004 — 28,4 million euro | Poor | Yes |

Moundou–Koutéré (118 km) | 8th EDF — Road construction decided in 1999 and finalised in 2006 — 38,3 million euro | Very good | No |

Moundou–Doba, Doba–Koumra (190 km) | 9th EDF— Road construction decided in 2005 and finalised in 2010 — 78,0 million euro | Good | Yes |

Tanzania | Roads in and around Mwanza (55,2 km) | 8th EDF — Rehabilitation decided in 1999 and finalised in 2006 — 34,9 million euro | Very good/Poor | Yes |

Mwanza border–Tinde, Isaka–Nzega (169 km) | 8th EDF— Rehabilitation and upgrading decided in 2000 and finalised in 2007 — 114,7 million euro | Very good/Good/Fair/Poor | Yes |

Morrogoro–Dodoma (253 km) | 8th EDF — Rehabilitation decided in 2000 and finalised in 2007 — 41,9 million euro | Fair | Yes |

Zambia | Monze–Zimba (212 km) | 8th EDF — Rehabilitation decided in 1998 and finalised in 2002 — 34,3 million euro | Fair | Yes |

Kabwe Kapiri and Chisamba road (82 km) | 8th EDF — Rehabilitation decided in 1999 and finalised in 2003 — 16,8 million euro | Fair | Yes |

Zimba–Livingstone (42,7 km) | 9th EDF — Rehabilitation decided in 2007 and finalised in 2010 — 15,0 million euro | Very good | No |

[1] The roads are classified according to the condition categories of the Road Network Evaluation Tool. The categories are:

- Very good: requires only routine maintenance;

- Good: requires routine maintenance plus preventive maintenance or spot resurfacing or repairs;

- Fair: requires routine maintenance plus periodic maintenance;

- Poor: requires routine maintenance plus strengthening or partial reconstruction;

- Very poor: requires routine maintenance plus full reconstruction.

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ANNEX IV

7TH TO 10TH EDF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN BENIN

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FINDINGS OF THE COURT’S ON-SITE INSPECTIONS OF ROADS IN BENIN

Sémé–Porto Novo

The condition of the road is normal for its age. Routine maintenance has been carried out.

Roads in the town of Parakou

The roads in Parakou are still in very good condition thanks to good technical choices made during the project, the absence of heavy traffic and appropriate road maintenance, which is the responsibility of the city authorities with their own budget. Maintenance is good thanks to competent technical services, a significant increase in the city’s road maintenance budget and investments [1], the use of multiannual maintenance contracts since 2005 and participation by the local population in manual regular maintenance — for instance weekly sweeping by women’s associations.

Natitingou–Porga

The road is affected by undulation, cracks, ravelling and potholes. The road safety infrastructure [2] has also deteriorated. The causes of the road’s deterioration are structural problems, vehicle overloading and inadequate maintenance. The inspection revealed that routine maintenance is not carried out as it should be and that a significant part of the road is in need of periodic maintenance. The road therefore cannot be fully used under the conditions and at the speeds for which it was designed. Given that the sections of road inspected have not reached the end of their normal life expectancy, it is concluded that the road deterioration is premature.

Main road through Cotonou

The road is still in good condition. There is a risk of deterioration, however, as routine maintenance is not carried out properly by the city authorities. Water drainage channels are not cleared, bringing the risk of blockage by sand and debris.

Dassa — Savé — Parakou; Savalou — Dassa — Bohicon

The road is affected by premature deterioration. The auditors observed undulation, rutting [3], cracks, ravelling and potholes. In several locations the deterioration is severe. The road safety infrastructure has also deteriorated. The main cause of deterioration is vehicle overloading, but localised structural problems and traffic levels that are higher than initially expected also play a role. As a result, the road cannot be fully used under the conditions and at the speeds for which it was designed. Furthermore, the road does not receive appropriate routine maintenance, and periodic maintenance is due but not yet planned.

Porto Novo — Igolo

On the whole, the road is in good condition. The deterioration observed, which includes light undulation, is normal for the age of the road. Routine maintenance has been carried out, though not always at the appropriate time.

[1] Up from 200 million FCFA in 2005 to 800 million FCFA in 2011.

[2] Horizontal road markings, guard-rails, traffic signs and roadside concrete blocks.

[3] A groove in the road surface made by the passage of vehicles.

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ANNEX V

7TH TO 10TH EDF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN BURKINA FASO

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FINDINGS OF THE COURT’S ON-SITE INSPECTIONS OF ROADS IN BURKINA FASO

Because of security considerations, the Court’s visual inspection of roads in Burkina Faso was relatively limited.

Ouagadougou–Koupéla

Periodic maintenance of this road was financed by the 8th EDF. The works were completed in 2003, but as early as February 2005 the road had signs of premature deterioration and it was decided to finance periodic maintenance and reinforcement again under the 9th EDF. This work was completed in 2007. The Court’s visual inspection of a 40 km section showed that the road is currently in good condition. Nevertheless, some localised premature deterioration was observed, such as rutting in the direction of Ouagadougou and the destruction of a metallic structure built to control the maximum height of trucks. The rutting occurs because of vehicle overloading and the unexpected increase in traffic resulting from the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire in 2002.

Bobo Dioulasso–Boromo

Periodic maintenance financed by the 8th EDF was completed in 2002. Monitoring reports and the final report by the supervisor of works indicate that the road was already seriously damaged 1 year after the end of the maintenance works. The damage was generalised and included surface deterioration, potholes and rutting. As a result, further periodic maintenance was soon carried out, this time financed by the 9th EDF. This work was completed in 2008. At present, the road’s overall condition is still good. Nevertheless, the Court found evidence of premature deterioration, such as surface damage and rutting. This indicates that the road will not last as long as expected. Premature deterioration was already noted by the EU delegation staff at the time of the ceremony to inaugurate the road.

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ANNEX VI

7TH TO 10TH EDF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN CAMEROON

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FINDINGS OF THE COURT’S ON-SITE INSPECTIONS OF ROADS IN CAMEROON

Yaoundé–Ayos

The road is currently in fair condition and can still be used at the speeds for which it was built. Nevertheless, only 6 years after reinforcement works, the road already shows signs of fatigue such as depressions, damage by road users and frequent damage to road signs and guard-rails. Most of this premature deterioration is due to high levels of traffic and structural weaknesses. The final evaluation report on the construction of the road states that the Awaé–Ayos section (83 km) is too narrow to handle the expected traffic levels [1]. Periodic maintenance is needed to prevent more expensive rehabilitation works in the foreseeable future. However, no such works are yet planned.

Bertoua–Garoua Boulaï

The road presents cracks and depressions, mostly due to vehicle overloading. Despite this deterioration, the road is still in fair condition and can be used at the speeds for which it was built. There is also damage, caused by road users, to the road surface, horizontal road markings and guard-rails. Given the age of the road, its deterioration cannot be considered premature, but periodic maintenance is needed in the short term to prevent more expensive rehabilitation works in the foreseeable future. However, such maintenance has not yet been planned.

N’Gaoundéré–Touboro

The road is still in good condition with only limited signs of deterioration. This is attributable to traffic levels which are significantly lower than anticipated.

Garoua–Figuil

The overall condition of the road is good, although some deterioration was observed, including cracks, depressions and excess bitumen appearing at the surface. These problems were caused by the substandard quality of the roadworks and vehicle overloading. As the roadworks were completed only recently, this deterioration can be considered premature.

[1] Dorsch Consult, final report "Construction de la route Yaoundé–Ayos CM/6014, évaluation finale", July 2004.

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ANNEX VII

7TH TO 10TH EDF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN CHAD

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FINDINGS OF THE COURT’S ON-SITE INSPECTIONS OF ROADS IN CHAD

Eré–Kélo

The condition of the road is poor, with multiple potholes, cracks, ravelling and depressions, all attributable to the aqueous nature of the soil, poor construction quality and vehicle overloading. As a result of this premature deterioration, the road can no longer be used at the speeds for which it was intended. The financing agreement stated the need for periodic maintenance every 8 years. Although the road was completed in 2001, periodic maintenance was already planned in 2005, which confirms its premature deterioration. However, these works have not yet been carried out. In fact, there is no periodic road maintenance in Chad. As a result, the road will require significantly more expensive rehabilitation in the future.

Kélo–Moundou

The financing agreement signed in July 2000 stated the need for periodic maintenance every 5 years. During construction, it was found that the design of the road was not suitable for the actual levels of traffic. As a result, it was recommended at the time that it be strengthened 2 to 3 years after final acceptance of the works. However, no strengthening work has been carried out. As a result, the road’s current condition is poor, with premature deterioration including many potholes, which are frequently large, and damage by road users. The auditors also observed that routine maintenance of this road is inadequate.

Moundou–Koutéré

The road is still in very good condition. There are some minor signs of premature deterioration, such as small cracks and excess bitumen appearing at the surface. The latter is mainly a road safety problem, as it makes the road slippery.

Moundou–Doba; Doba–Koumra

A section of approximately 40 km near Moundou has been in use since 2008. Both roads are in good overall condition. However, several repairs were carried out by the construction company during the guarantee period. Some of the repaired sections are again showing signs of premature deterioration. The rutting observed is a consequence of vehicle overloading.

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ANNEX VIII

7TH TO 10TH EDF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN TANZANIA

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FINDINGS OF THE COURT’S ON-SITE INSPECTIONS OF ROADS IN TANZANIA

Rehabilitation of roads in and around the city of Mwanza

Nine roads in Mwanza and three roads outside the city were rehabilitated. The nine roads inside the city have a total length of 9 km and are maintained under the responsibility of Mwanza city council, which has its own budget. These roads are still in very good condition and require only routine maintenance. The three roads outside the city, totalling 46 km, can generally still be used as intended but are affected by localised premature deterioration. On the road from Mwanza to Nyanguge, there are deformations and potholes in three low-lying sections totalling 4,1 km that have already been repaired by overlay or oversealing. The airport road is characterised by deteriorated shoulders at junctions with access roads and tracks and where cars and buses pull over regularly. The Kenyata road has potholes and deformations in one location. These problems are related to the design of the road.

Rehabilitation and upgrading of Mwanza border–Tinde and Isaka–Nzega roads

The rehabilitated roads are in good to very good condition, except in a few locations where there is premature deterioration, owing to excess bitumen appearing at the surface of the road and varying from light to severe. Where severe, it is at times accompanied by deformation and rutting. This has an impact on road safety, because it makes the road more slippery. Rutting also occurs before and after speed humps because the road design did not take into account the deceleration and acceleration of traffic in these locations. In some cases, this rutting is severe. Horizontal road markings have not been maintained and are now faded.

Backlog maintenance for the central corridor

A total of 95 km have been reconstructed and 161 km have been resurfaced. The overall condition of the road can be qualified as fair, meaning that periodic maintenance is already due. This is sooner than expected when the roadworks were carried out. The sections that were overlaid are particularly affected by premature deterioration. Some sections, with a total length of 15 to 20 km, are even in need of rehabilitation. The premature deterioration consists of bleeding, rutting, shoulder deterioration, deformation, cracks and potholes. The report by the supervisor of works and the works evaluation report [1] indicate that the original substandard pavement is unstable, thus creating cracks, depressions and rutting. The road agency has issued a report on the pavement failures [2], which indicates that it recognises the existence of a problem.

[1] "Evaluation of backlog maintenance programme for the central corridor", March 2009.

[2] "Backlog maintenance works on central corridor — report pavement failure", Tanroads, April 2007.

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ANNEX IX

7TH TO 10TH EDF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN ZAMBIA

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FINDINGS OF THE COURT’S ON-SITE INSPECTIONS OF ROADS IN ZAMBIA

Rehabilitation of the Monze–Zimba road

At several locations, in particular where there are access roads, the road is affected by deterioration of the hard shoulder, which is attributable to the design of the road. Furthermore, the road safety infrastructure, such as horizontal road markings, road signs and roadside concrete blocks, has also deteriorated significantly and has not been maintained. Routine maintenance has not been carried out to a sufficient standard, if at all, and although the road can still be used as intended, there should already have been periodic maintenance approximately 7 years after it was rehabilitated. Owing to the insufficiency of funds and the huge periodic maintenance backlog, there is no guarantee of any periodic maintenance in the coming years. Failure to carry out such maintenance on time will significantly increase future maintenance costs. Although widespread damage is not yet visible, it can be concluded that the road deterioration is premature.

Rehabilitation of the Kabwe–Kapiri Mposhi and Chisamba roads

The road from Kabwe to Kapiri Mposhi (60,5 km) is a main road with high traffic levels, whereas the Chisamba road (21,5 km) is a low-traffic road that connects an agricultural area with a trunk road. Both are affected by premature deterioration. The former displays cracking, severe rutting at several speed humps, deterioration of the shoulder at access roads and a significant number of potholes, of which the majority have been repaired in the course of routine maintenance. The road safety infrastructure has also deteriorated. Overall, the deterioration observed between Kabwe and Kapiri Mposhi is more serious than between Monze and Zimba, although the former section was constructed at a later date. The road is affected by vehicle overloading and high levels of traffic that were not taken into consideration during the design stage. In addition, routine maintenance is insufficient. Considering the time since rehabilitation and the level of traffic, the road should also already have been periodically maintained. The Chisamba road is affected by serious cracking along its entire length, and several potholes have started to develop. These are a consequence of inappropriate construction quality. The road requires routine mechanical maintenance, such as the patching of potholes and crack repairs.

Rehabilitation of the Zimba–Livingstone road

The road is in very good condition, which is normal given its age. There are no indications that the quality of the road infrastructure will lead to premature deterioration in the future.

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