During the first half of 2003, three country case studies were carried out in Rwanda, Guinea-Conakry and Tanzania as part of the preparations for the 2003 SSATP Annual Meeting. These studies assess the linkages between national transport and poverty reduction policies and strategies, as well as the processes and institutional arrangements for policy dialogue and decision-making. They also examine how SSATP functions at the national level might be shaped in the future.

This SSATP publication, jointly prepared with the World Bank, provides best practice guidelines for mainstreaming road safety in regional road trade corridors (RTRCs) investment programs in low and middle income countries (LMICs). The benefits of both physical and institutional improvements implemented under trade and transport corridor investment projects in developing countries have been often compromised by the increases in road accident risks as a result of increased truck traffic volumes and higher speeds.

This new SSATP discussion paper reviews the experience of an apparently successful corridor to help understand optimal mix and trade-offs in reviving historical trade route. The Maputo Corridor, which had fallen in disuse during the troubled period in Mozambique, is widely regarded as one the successful corridors. It has experienced tremendous growth, attracted large industrial and transport investments, and strengthened ties between neighboring countries over its almost two decade long history since the end of the apartheid era in South Africa and the Peace Agreement in Mozambique.

Rural transport services are often inadequate. Passenger and goods transport needs improving to stimulate rural economies and reduce poverty. Understanding existing rural transport systems and constraining factors is a precondition for appropriate policy action. The Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) commissioned a study to develop and test a methodology for the rapid assessment of rural transport systems.

This second volume of Gazing into the Mirror presents the results of the bold and original reform process initiated in 2009 to modernize the Cameroon Customs Administration and to instill a radically new culture within it. The objective is to facilitate trade and fight against fraud and bad practices. At the heart of this process are performance contracts signed between the Director General of Custom (co-author of the book) and Customs officers.

This publication recounts the story of the renovation of the Dakar bus transportation system and the financial and leasing mechanism behind this successful project which started in 2002 at the initiative of the international Development Association (IDA).

This paper presents the findings of an initiative undertaken by the SSATP and its regional partners to monitor transit performance along the North-South corridor, a major trade corridor. Based on the extensive data collection exercise carried out along the corridor, the Chirundu border post, between Zambia and Zimbabwe, was identified as one of the key impediments to the smooth flow of traffic, and it was therefore decided that it would be the pilot one-stop border post created for the Southern African region.