Bribe-takers push up West Africa’s road transport costs

CLIVE EMDON
BRIBE-TAKING by uniformed officers is one of the reasons why West Africa’s road transport costs are the highest in the world, according to a preliminary study undertaken by the West Africa Trade Hub (Wath) based in Accra, Ghana. A report in The Statesman published in Accra last week says high costs of inputs, high taxation, low capacity use, overloaded vehicles running on degraded roads, and old, inefficient trucks add to the cost. According to the report, many road barriers enable law enforcement agents to exact bribes from truckers through threats of extended delays if they don’t pay up. However, the study fails to make some other useful links. First, over-reliance on road transport, especially the near absence of rail transport, and secondly, the very loosely regulated commercial transport sector, are often cited as major reasons for the high cost of travel in West Africa. The Wath is sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development.