Infrastructure has become an issue of increasing salience for the country of Gabon. Diminishing growth rates and persistent poverty have become common; oil shocks have put the economy into tumultuous waters. To address this, the West African nation, with a population roughly the size of Nebraska, has recently prioritized addressing inadequate infrastructure in Gabon. It is doing so in partnership with Bechtel, a company known for its landmark development projects across the globe.

The Role of Infrastructure in Gabon

Economists agree that infrastructure is a crucial component of economic growth, especially in developing countries. Along with increased productivity, improved infrastructure also disproportionately helps the poor. This is achieved through improved access to markets and facilitating human capital accumulation and economies of scale.

Put simply, better roads, railways and ports make transporting goods easier and cheaper. Furthermore, better telecommunication infrastructure, like telephone lines and internet access, enables more participation in economic activity. Education and healthcare also become more accessible, which allows people to improve their productivity.

For infrastructure in Gabon, where less than half of airports have paved runways and only 11 percent of roads are paved, there is plenty of room for investment to catalyze improved economic output.

The State of Gabon’s Economy

Despite boasting per capita GDP rates larger than most of its underdeveloped neighbors, Gabon has found itself confronted with significant development challenges. Its economy is overly reliant on a triad of natural resources; oil, manganese, and timber exports comprise the majority of the nation’s income. Petroleum revenues alone are responsible for 45 percent of the nation’s GDP. Such a dependence on exports, particularly natural resources, typically stifles a nation’s primary sector.

Development difficulty has also been exacerbated by an often unstable business environment fostered by the government. Gabon performs poorly – 167th out of 190 – on the World Bank’s Doing Business report, which measures a nation’s ease of doing business.

Previously, corruption had effectively thrown sand in the gears of the economy. It dissuaded foreign investors and compelled them to funnel capital elsewhere. Many potential investors find the nation’s regulatory apparatus too onerous. Furthermore, oil money often does not trickle down to benefit the citizens.

However, budget shortfalls attributable to poor fiscal planning and mercurial oil prices, as well as declining growth rates have facilitated a renewed emphasis on infrastructure investments and encouraged more government transparency.

Bechtel’s Commitment to Infrastructure

Unfazed by many of the obstacles to infrastructure in Gabon, Bechtel began an ambitious “master plan” for the nation’s infrastructure in 2010. The San Francisco-based construction and civil engineering firm agreed to a $25b public-private partnership. Its aim is to “balanc[e] economic progress with social and environmental policies… includ[ing] new schools and fiber-optic communications” as well as to increase industrial capacity within the nation.

Reaping the Rewards

Bechtel’s ambition to help modernize infrastructure in Gabon has shown tangible benefits for the nation and its people. Thus far, the partnership has successfully built five thousand public housing units, the nation’s first community wastewater treatment plant, and designed a new port, marina and conference center in the capital city of Libreville.

Gabon has made significant strides in other areas, too. When Bechtel began their work, less than 6 percent of Gabonese had internet access; by July 2016, the rate was 48.1 percent.

Although public debt and pervasive poverty remain problems, investment in infrastructure has offered a blueprint for building a better environment for Gabon and improved economic prospects for its people.

– Brendan Wade

Photo: Flickr

Located in northeastern Africa, covering approximately 644,329 square kilometers of land, South Sudan is home to over 10 million people. Prior to gaining independence from the north in 2011, it was estimated that there were about 4,000 to 5,500 kilometers of main roads, of which only 50 kilometers were paved. There were also about 7,500 kilometers of secondary roads that were also unpaved and in various conditions of ruin. Infrastructure in South Sudan has been classified as underdeveloped and has been a serious constraint on the growth of the economy.

Suitable roads and railways are a vital part of building a stable state. Structurally sound infrastructure contributes to improving access to markets, food production and economic growth. It also allows for quick and easy responses to internal conflict and increases individuals’ access to hospitals and schools.

However, it will be no easy task for South Sudan to build an effective roadway system. The country suffers from a lack of trained professionals, difficulty obtaining materials and severe rainy seasons that restrict the use of bridges.

Because South Sudan is a developing country, in order to work towards becoming more sustainable, it requires the aid of partner countries and organizations, like the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations. Investments made in the infrastructure of developing countries can only meet a small amount of the overall needs. To ensure the overall sustainability of infrastructure in South Sudan, partner countries and organizations must help to create local financial institutions and supply the country with the tools needed to govern the operation and advancement of roadways.

Some of the work that the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has contributed to South Sudan is the construction and rehabilitation of more than 430 kilometers of roads and repairs on an additional 45 kilometers, including 10 bridges and four airstrips. On behalf of USAID, UNOPS is also currently working to renovate the damaged Juba Nile Bridge.

UNOPS is also working to restore and assemble roads in remote and conflict-prone areas like Warrap, Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria under programs that are currently being led by the United Nations Development Programme and funded by the South Sudan Recovery Fund. These programs intend to heighten security and address the causes of conflict occurring in the area.

The World Bank has also made contributions to South Sudan’s infrastructure by financing the construction of 424 kilometers of roads in order to help stimulate growth for communities in rural areas that are located along the roadways and to connect locals to markets, schools and healthcare facilities. The hopes of this project will be to better the lives of those inhabitants along the roadway by connecting them to the outside world.

Without better roads, infrastructure in South Sudan will not be able to tackle some of its biggest challenges. South Sudan’s government must prioritize the construction of roads and bridges in the country. The roadway system is necessary for buying and selling goods between states and with the bordering countries of Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. Road improvements are the first step to growing the economy in South Sudan and providing more opportunities for its people.

– Zainab Adebayo

Photo: Flickr

Mali is the eighth largest country in Africa bordering Algeria, Niger, Mauritania, Guinea, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso and is located in the North-Western region of the continent.

Infrastructure Development

Most of the population in Mali is concentrated in the southern area with mostly nomads inhabiting farther north. In the south, there is easier access to resources, agriculture and the market for buying/selling goods.

Infrastructure greatly reflects the accommodation to this geographic and demographic distribution. Road infrastructure in Mali is particularly keen on creating a network of connectivity between people, resources and export ports. This is why Mali has one of the most spatially concentrated infrastructure networks in the continent.

There are three international corridors that link landlocked Mali to the sea: Tema-Ouagadougou-Bamako, Dakar-Bamako and Abidjan-Ferkesessedougou-Bamako. These routes help bring Malian exports to central ports for shipping as well as interregional trade between other nations. Both of these help build the economy in Mali rather than keeping it as a self-reliant country struggling with poverty.

Local and Global Connectivity

The connectivity of road infrastructure in Mali has greatly improved local and global business prospects. For example, there is a transnational intercity highway known as Kankan-Kourémalé-Bamako that is the only way to enter and exit between Conakry (a port city in Guinea) and Bamako (the capital city of Mali). The African Development Bank Group highlights how this highway has “revolutionized the daily lives of thousands of people.” The highway has seen an increase in traffic for commuting workers who are now able to travel longer distances for better work. Traders set up their stalls along the highway and have seen a significant increase in customers and profits.

Mali does excellent work to maintain their roads, especially the significant highways and interregional methods of transport. Road infrastructure in Mali has guaranteed excellent safety for all users; in fact, a newly generated Road Authority has allowed for necessary maintenance throughout the year.

Despite inadequate funding, road infrastructure in Mali has been a highlighted priority to pave the way for economic growth. The nation’s government has directed much of its national funds toward maintenance and development of the overall road network, and as a result, Mali has set an excellent example for neighboring countries for how to diversify the economy by expanding transportation networks.

– Caysi Simpson

Photo: Flickr