Transport science research vital for SADC development


Lazarus Sauti

Threat to Human Lives Road safety, traffic congestion, urban air pollution, road maintenance, accessibility and mobility problems in countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are key challenges for the 21st century.  

These problems together with poor infrastructure development have fuelled levels of poverty in the regional bloc.

SADC must, therefore, consider the use of transport science research if the regional bloc is to come up with solid solutions to transport infrastructural challenges on top of other socio-economic challenges.

Transport science research, according to Zimbabwe’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Dr. Obert M. Mpofu, provides novel as well as valuable transportation solutions and hence contribute towards socio-economic transformation.

“Robust, efficient and cost effective transport system is critical for economic recovery not only in Zimbabwe, but in the region as it promotes strong and dynamic industrial and enterprise sectors that the region relies on.

“The robust and dynamic sectors include tourism, mining and agriculture,” he said in a speech read on his behalf during a dinner to fundraise for the 7th Africa Transport Technology Transfer Conference that Zimbabwe will host in Victoria Falls from the 11th to the 15th of May this year.

Since SADC is rich in commodities and new discoveries are being made all the time, the availability of efficient and competitively priced transport infrastructure is, therefore, a necessary ingredient for effective social and economic transformation, to say the words of Hon Mpofu.

However, to effectively embrace transport science research, stakeholders in the transport sector, especially road agencies, should work together to come up with formidable science and technology strategies that support economic development within the regional bloc.

In view of the need to provide up-to-date infrastructure for economic growth, added Hon. Mpofu, road agencies from the region should coordinate their efforts to harmonise policies and enact effective strategies to enable desired results to be delivered.

Funding is also required for transport science research to produce desired outcomes; therefore, stakeholders together with generous development partners should come up with funding strategies to ensure adequate support.

Hon. Mpofu concurred: “Agencies should look at strategies to come up with adequate funding and well targeted resource allocation for interventions and related management function as well as create robust and systematic monitoring and evaluation to measure progress.”

Adding to that dimension, Hassan Massoud of Citadel Capital, Egypt believed that “public and private organisations should play a larger role in financing transport science research if development is to keep pace with demand.”

More so, to realise the importance of creating, using and sharing knowledge to improve transport infrastructure, governments as biggest stakeholder in national and regional development, should simply raise the capacity of research and development institutions to produce valuable research in science and engineering so as to help transform the region and generate broad gains to society.

In line with the purpose-in-life of the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology which seeks to ensure the development of a safe, sustainable, efficient and effective road transport system in support of social-economic growth and development and ultimately poverty alleviation, political as well as business leaders must encourage expertise and technology transfer on how to sustainably research in addition to manage national and regional road networks. 

Without doubt, transport is vital for trade, commerce, business, new firm formation and the widespread dissemination of entrepreneurial opportunities and participation in the labour force. Therefore, member states in the SADC region must embrace the use of transport science research if the regional bloc is to come up with solid solutions to transport infrastructural challenges and realise its economic footing.

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