SSATP annual meeting 2005

This paper reports on the sub-Saharan Africa transport policy programme (SSATP) annual meeting, held in Bakamo, Mali in November 2005. Its focus was on moving forward with implementation of the SSATP long-term development plan -designed to achieve concrete improvements in the transport sector in sub-Saharan Africa, so that it contributes fully to growth and poverty reduction.

The meeting discussed issues including:

• developing transport strategies that contribute to poverty reduction
• strengthening the links between transport, trade and regional integration
• establishing sound institutions and financing arrangements for the roads sector
• managing increased financing from development partners
• creating a future vision for transport in Africa
• mproving the mobility of the urban poor
• ensuring that the voices of women are heard in LTDP implementation.

The outcome of the meeting was the 'Bamako Declaration' - a statement of political support for the implementation of the SSATP long-term development plan. Particularly noticeable was the concentrated effort to address implementation deficiencies with regard to the needs of women. Proposals were presented for strengthening the way in which implementation should address gender-specific transport needs.