news

This activity involves support to the formulation of rural transport policies, strategies and action plans in line with an improved policy framework developed by SSATP to facilitate the effective contribution of rural transport to poverty reduction and growth. This framework is an important element of policy recommendations proposed by SSATP for rural transport. Its emphasis is on integrating rural transport with the rural development framework, and a closer linkage with the agriculture sector.

The selection of the two pilot countries was made in close consultation with SSATP National Coordinators and ARTA through a demand driven process. The activity involves contextualization and adaptation of the framework paper on rural transport’s contribution to rural growth and poverty reduction to the selected countries’ contexts and application of the framework to help them develop a rural transport policy and strategy with an implementation plan. Specific activities include the following:

• Contextualize the key findings and recommendations of the framework paper for application in the pilot country context taking into account local circumstances and political economy;
• Institutional assessment in selected pilot countries to assess appropriateness and readiness for successful application of the framework paper recommendations;
• Identification of relevant stakeholders for rural transport through a stakeholders’ analysis in each pilot country;
• Stakeholder consultations to identify key rural transport issues to be addressed and possible options for addressing them in line with the framework paper recommendations;
• Workshop at country level for discussion of the key issues and options for addressing them ( held on January 31, 2013 in Uganda and on March 21,2013 in Nigeria)
• Elaboration of draft policy and strategy for improving rural transport (planning, design, implementation, M&E) in the pilot country, based on workshop recommendations;
• Elaboration of action plan, including operational and monitoring frameworks for adaptation and implementation of the framework for improving rural transport’s contribution to rural growth and poverty reduction. The plan will include results matrix/framework with clearly defined output indicators and expected results;
• Organization of the second stakeholders workshop to review and finalize the draft policy and strategy, and to discuss / agree on the action plan and monitoring framework. SSATP participated in this workshop in Uganda on March 12, 2013  A point of emphasis was that a mechanism for cross-sectoral coordination between transport and agriculture is necessary to go beyond sector working groups promoted in the context of sector-wide approaches (SWAPs). Also, while the MoWT has the mandate for RT policy, it does not have mandate to enforce these policies on local governments as they are accountable to the Ministry of Local Government, thus emphasizing the need for legislative backing of RT policy. Notably, the RT policy will be an integral part of the National Transport Policy currently being developed under the Ministry, and as such it can only be ratified within the framework of main policy.
• Develop strategy for implementation, particularly mobilization of resources in consultation with stakeholders in the pilot country.

The target audiences for this activity are the policy makers and implementers in the specific country as well as relevant stakeholders, particularly external and internal financing institutions and NGOs.