The situation in Niger

The road network of Niger is 14000 km in length, of which 3,795 km are surfaced roads, 6,215 km are earth roads and 4,000 km are tracks. The organisation of road maintenance in Niger prior to 2000 was the responsibility of the Public Works Directorate. The shortcomings of the situation were a chronically inadequate budget and shortages of fuel, vehicles, plant and staff. Reforms were made to guarantee the continuity of investment in the sector and to improve management and use of road maintenance resources. The Public Works Directorate set up a General Directorate with four central directorates covering road maintenance, technical issues, new works and rural roads. The Directorate of Public Works Plant and the Directorate of the National Public Works and Building Laboratory were transformed into semi-public companies. A second-generation road maintenance fund (the Autonomous Road Maintenance Financing Fund, CAFER) was created. CAFER's principal resources include the road use tax and road tolls. The consequences of the reform for employment and maintenance work are outlined. Recommendations are made for future improvements.