Namibia again tops list of best quality roads in Africa
For the fifth consecutive year Namibia has retained its position at the top of the list of the best roads on the African continent.
According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitive Report Index of 2020 on the quality of road infrastructure, Namibia remains unchallenged when it comes to good quality roads in Africa with a score of 5.2 out of 7, ranking above South Africa and Rwanda, which scored a 5.0 ranking in second and third places respectively.
Globally, Namibia also ranked favourably at number 23, above economic giants such as China, India and Italy, which ranked at 42, 46 and 56 respectively. The United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Switzerland topped the list of best roads in the world with a score of 6.2 each.
Namibia’s success is attributed to two important factors, namely an effective maintenance strategy on existing road infrastructure, which plays a pivotal role in prolonging its life span, and the upgrading and construction of new roads, which contribute significantly to the quality of national roads.
As a state-owned entity, the Roads Authority (RA) has reached many milestones in terms of developing and extending Namibia’s road infrastructure in all corners of the country. This has been facilitated by the commitment of the government through the Ministry of Works and Transport, which has continuously accorded top priority to the provision of funding the development of road infrastructure.
The RA says it recognizes the efforts of the Road Fund Administration (RFA) in availing the financial resources required to execute this mandate. Similarly, the RA expressed its gratitude to all other stakeholders such as the KfW from Germany (developmental partner), municipalities and road users for their contribution towards this praiseworthy recognition from the WEF.
However, the RA noted that this most recent accolade comes at a time when the country is receiving good rainfall, which has affected the roads, particularly in the southern regions of the country.
“The RA will ensure that all damaged sections are restored after the rainy season has ended and where needed, drainage structures will be constructed to mitigate future damages/ flooding. This will be done to keep our road network in a good condition as we strive to achieve our vision of having a sustainable road sector, which is ahead of national and regional socio-economic needs in pursuit of Namibia’s Vision 2030. The RA believes that our good road network will continue to drive our economy to greater heights, give us prosperity and alleviate poverty,” read a statement from RA CEO, Conrad Mutonga Lutombi.