Transport services and their impact on poverty and growth in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract

This Overview Paper considers transport services and their impact on poverty and growth in rural subSaharan Africa. It builds on a preliminary literature review focused on material published from 2000 onwards [Annex 1], associated communication with Africa-, UK- and US-based researchers active in transport services-related research, discussions during three AFCAP-sponsored sessions held during the biennial conference of the African Studies Association at the University of Leeds in early September 2012 and a meeting of transport specialists convened by Elizabeth Jones, DFID’s Senior Infrastructure Adviser in the Growth Research Team, on 10th September in London. A draft version of the final report was subsequently circulated to AFCAP Steering Group members for comment. The paper covers the following topics: 1. Observed transport services impacts on poverty and growth to date in rural sub-Saharan Africa 2. Constraints on poverty alleviation and growth associated with deficiencies in rural transport services 3. The potential for improved rural transport services to impact on poverty and growth (including possible extended connectivity from integration with mobile phone networks) 4. Identification of key research gaps, assessing (i) where and how current commissioned AFCAP projects will contribute to filling these gaps and (ii) areas where new transport services research needs commissioning.