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Namibia: Road Sector Requires N$6 B Until 2013
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The Namibian (Windhoek)
30 April 2008
Posted to the web 30 April 2008
Brigitte Weidlich
Windhoek
THE Roads Authority (RA) and the Road Fund Authority (RFA) require about N$6 billion to maintain and rehabilitate the existing road network but fear a large funding gap because insufficient budgetary allocations and less income from road-user charges and vehicle licence fees.
Addressing a meeting in Windhoek on Tuesday on its five-year business plan until March 2013, the Chief Executive of the RFA, Penda Kiyala, bluntly said that the choice was to either "let things slip and let the road network fall apart or to take a bold step to improve the condition of the roads".
Kiyala did not state directly that increased road-user charges would be the main option, but said that the road-user and mass-distance charges collected so far had not meet expectations.
If more funds were not made available, the general condition of roads would deteriorate, vehicle maintenance costs would increase and road transport costs would be higher, Kiyala said.
"The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015 will not be met and Government's Vision 2030 expectations will not be met either.
We will also leave the next generation with a burden," he said.
According to Erastus Ikela, CEO of the RFA, there was a backlog of road rehabilitation due to years of inadequate investment.
"Over 69 per cent of our bitumen roads are 20 years and older and over 30 per cent of them are 30 years and older.
Rehabilitation is required for extending the service life for another 20 to 25 years.
"The rehabilitation programme required averages 270 km per year.
At current market prices for rehabilitation of N$2 to N$3 million per kilometre, this represents an annual funding requirement of N$675 million," he said.
"The 5 810 km of bitumen roads require on average every year 270 km of reseal works, 400 km of rejuvenation and routine maintenance including pothole patching, crack sealing and road marking, which require N$100 million per annum," Ikela said.
About 1 200 km of gravel roads needed re-gravelling, he said.
This required an annual budget of N$340 million, including N$45 million for miscellaneous maintenance for the whole network.
Desmond Basson of the RFA said road-user charges would not be increased this year, but from next year, steeper tariffs, including higher vehicle licensing fees, could be expected to fund road maintenance.
He told The Namibian that approximately N$6 billion was required over the next five years.
During the discussion it was asked when toll charges on certain roads would be introduced.
"This is a contentious issue on political level and a study was conducted on this topic.
The study was submitted to our political masters for decision taking," Ikela answered.
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This year, the Finance Ministry will allocate N$300 million extra to the road sector to plug the most serious gaps in its road maintenance programme.
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