Abstract:
Developing countries have spent, and are spending millions of dollars annually in
providing road infrastructure as a means of opening up the countryside to foreign
investment and thus stimulating the economy for a better future for their citizens.
Unfortunately, most of this developmental work is under a threat of deterioration
due to inadequate maintenance work that, in turn, is caused by a host of
challenges such as poor funding, improper work methods, lack of qualified local
contractors on maintenance work, to name but a few of these challenges.
This research provides an overview of what developing countries (using
Swaziland as an example) can gain from experiences that have been
implemented in some parts of the world in trying to address the issue of road
maintenance. Several countries, including some in Latin America and Australia,the commonly called Performance-Based Road Management and Maintenance
Contracts hold some promise in addressing the question of effective road
maintenance and safeguarding the enormous investment undertaken by many
developing country’s Governments. The treatise intends showcasing, using
Swaziland as an example, what and how developing countries in Africa stand to
gain by privatizing routine road maintenance.
Finally, the research proposes a roadmap that can be used specifically in
developing countries, for upgrading local contractors to the level where they can
play a meaningful role in road maintenance.
have started to invest in ways of contracting out road maintenance. To this end,
