On October 14th, African Transport Policy Program (SSATP) launched its brand new publication; Good Policies and Practices on Rural Transport in Africa: Planning Infrastructure & Services. This paper follows the release of a previous paper on good policies and practices on rural transport that focused on monitoring & evaluation.

The Planning Infrastructure and Services paper provides an overall framework for identifying, planning and prioritizing rural transport infrastructure and services interventions. A key element is to encourage a holistic understanding of rural transport. Although services and infrastructure can be planned in isolation of each other, the best long-term results are likely to be achieved if they are improved in conjunction with each other. 

The paper outlines a range of measures and procedures to plan and improve rural transport infrastructure and services (Cost Effectiveness and Ranking Criteria, iRAP, HDM-4, and the Roads Economic Decision model (RED). A new planning procedure, the Rural Transport Prioritization Framework is introduced, primarily to assist with planning transport service initiatives. All approaches have strengths and weaknesses, and no solution will be ideal in all circumstances.

Please see: Full-text of the paper (pdf)