Although SSATP is a recognized and well-established program for policy development and capacity building of the African transport sector, new demands and changing needs of the sector put pressure on SSATP to adjust and adapt. The mid-term review recommended that the program should resourcefully respond to emerging needs, relocate to Africa to better integrate in the African context, and strengthen ownership among all its stakeholders. The program had to reconsider its focus and realign its activities with the new reality, while at the same time continue to implement on-going tasks and prepare a novel five-year work program.

In order to fully capture the measures taken to implement the recommendations of the review and highlight SSATP's operational results, this annual report covers the 18-month period from January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. The report provides an overview of the main activities during this period and showcases some of the program's results that will contribute to reviving the railways in several African countries, reforming the transport sector in West Africa, and creating analytical tools for improving governance in the transport sector. It also summarizes the rationale behind third development plan (DP3) and outlines key features of the plan.