A PPP "Paradigm" for overload control on trade corridors in Africa

Abstract

Paper presented at the 30th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 11-14 July 2011 "Africa on the Move", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.

The integration and spatial development on the African continent is promoted through initiatives that enhance interconnectivity and facilitate trade by focusing on transport corridors. The speed of freight movement along these corridors is crucial to the competitiveness of most African economies, especially those that are landlocked. The speed is affected by the throughput time at ports and border posts and also by the condition of the transport infrastructure. Overloading of heavy vehicles can cause considerable damage to road infrastructure which in turn affects the speed at which freight moves alona these corridors. A corridor can link several economic centres, countries and ports and &-ordination and harrnonisation of overload control among the countries along the corridor could become a bureaucratic nightmare. The paper briefly describes the routes along the main trade corridors in Southern Africa. It then demonstrates how the private sector can get involved in overload control on the roads along these corridors in terms of the recommendations in the SSATP's Working Paper No 90. The paper also proposes a regional overload control network for the Southern Africa trade corridors and provides a "first order" estimate of the benefiffcost ratio of such a network. The functions of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for overload control at SADC level and a possible concept of the agreements between the SPV, the private sector service provider and the financial institution(s) is also proposed.