2010年-世界发展银行全球_Yemen_Republic_of_-_Road_Sector___Strategy_Note_51页_1mb

Summary of the Republic of Yemen Road Sector Strategy Note

Core Content

This document, prepared by the World Bank, presents a comprehensive assessment of the road sector in Yemen and outlines an agenda for reform to improve its performance and efficiency. The report was developed following missions in 2008 and 2009 and incorporates feedback from Government officials and stakeholders.

Main Sector Challenges

The road sector in Yemen faces several critical challenges:

• Inefficient Expenditure Allocation: The current distribution of funds among different types of roads and categories of expenditure is not economically optimal. Maintenance funding is insufficient, and urban roads receive excessive funding while secondary and rural roads are underfunded. High payback projects like climbing lanes are not included in budgets, while some low return projects are considered. There is also a backlog of maintenance due to deferral of work, and too many projects are being implemented simultaneously, straining resources and staff.

• Weak Institutional Framework: Despite progress, the road sector remains highly fragmented, with key units such as planning, laboratory, and research outside the Road Sector Department's responsibility. The Road Maintenance Fund (RMF) has a broad mission, and the Rural Access Program Central Management Office (RAPCMO) has limited capacity to address its workload. There is a lack of a clear, functional road classification system, which hampers planning and monitoring.

• Poor Road Design and Implementation: Weaknesses in road design have increased project costs and affected quality. Insufficient capacity in MPWH for design review and guidance leads to poor technical standards and slow adoption of better methods. There is also a reluctance to vary technical standards based on road type, location, and function.

• Contract Management Issues: Legacy contracts with inadequate forms and technical requirements still affect project quality and implementation. Reliance on variation orders, slow payments, and lack of predictable price adjustments have increased costs and hindered contractor development. The road construction and maintenance industry is young and fragile, with many small contractors and limited availability of key materials like bitumen.

• Weak Monitoring and Evaluation: Performance monitoring and evaluation of the road sector are still underdeveloped. Data availability and reliability are poor, and consultation mechanisms with all stakeholders are lacking.

• Capacity and Skills Shortages: There is a serious shortage of skilled personnel across all institutions and firms involved in the road sector, including MPWH, contractors, and consultants.

• Poor Road Safety: Yemen has a high rate of traffic fatalities, with almost 3,000 deaths annually. While there is a sound setup for traffic safety enforcement, there is no national road safety strategy or unit in charge of monitoring and evaluation.

• Subsidized Road Use: Current policies and lack of enforcement of axle load limits result in excessive wear and tear on roads, increasing long-term costs. Road users are not paying for the marginal cost of infrastructure use, and their operations are subsidized.

• Positive Impact on Women: Roads improve access to basic goods and services, enabling women to engage in commercial activities and access education, particularly for girls.

Agenda for Reforms

To address these challenges, the report proposes three main directions for reform:

1. Improve the Quality of Public Expenditure Programs

• Maintain overall sector funding at least at 1% to 1.5% of GNP.
• Increase funding for routine and periodic maintenance, with the RMF budget rising from YR 4 billion to at least YR 10 billion in three years and YR 15 billion in the medium term.
• Increase funding for road rehabilitation and low-cost, high-return upgrades.
• Reduce urban road funding and prioritize projects with high economic and social returns.
• Cancel non-performing projects and focus funding on well-performing contracts.
• Prepare an integrated road sector strategy, updating the National Highway Master Plan and developing a national strategy for secondary and rural roads within a medium-term expenditure framework.

2. Develop the Institutional Framework and Capability for Road Sector Management

• Strengthen the Road Sector Department (RS) to assume full responsibility for policy, planning, and budgeting, with the development of technical and operational manuals reflecting international best practices.
• Clarify the mission and accountability of the RMF, focusing on routine and periodic maintenance and not on upgrading or rehabilitation.
• Establish a sustainable funding system for RAPCMO independent of donors.
• Develop a strategy to strengthen the road construction and maintenance industry, including fair contractor selection and supervision procedures, addressing material price and availability issues, and promoting a local road contractors' association.
• Enhance the consulting profession by outsourcing government work to local consultants, ensuring long-term demand for their services, and integrating them into government training programs.
• Strengthen the Information Technology Directorate of MPWH to lead sector monitoring, with adequate resources and staff.
• Develop a human resources strategy, including a medium-term training plan, improving engineering programs in Yemeni universities, and ensuring continuous education for high-level government staff.

3. Correct Present Inefficiencies in the Use of the Road Network

• Conduct a road safety capacity assessment and develop a national road safety strategy, including the establishment of a central coordination unit and regular safety audits on existing road corridors.
• Enforce axle load limits through awareness campaigns, mobile equipment for random checks, and expansion of permanent axle load stations.
• Implement user-pays principles by increasing fuel prices to cover the full cost of road infrastructure and associated externalities.
• Improve rural road design to better accommodate pedestrian needs, particularly for women and children, and ensure reliable public transport services connecting villages to major centers.

Key Information

• Road Network Status: As of 2009, Yemen had about 69,000 km of roads, with only 14,000 km paved (20% of total). Secondary and rural roads are the largest segment, with 5,500 km existing and 9,500 km under construction.
• Economic Development: The road network has grown significantly over the past 28 years, from 3,500 km in 1980 to 14,000 km in 2009, reflecting Yemen's rapid development.
• Regional Disparities: There are major variations in road density across governorates, with West Yemen significantly underdeveloped compared to East Yemen.
• Policy Recommendations: The report emphasizes the need for improved institutional structure, rationalized funding, and better performance management to enhance the sector's contribution to the national economy and reduce poverty.