Africa-Press – Namibia. Outgoing chief executive officer of the Roads Authority, Conrade Lutombi, says road transport remains the most important means of travel in Namibia. He noted that in many rural areas, roads are the only way people can access essential services.
He was speaking at the Roads Authority committee and Board Meetings of the Association of Southern African National Roads Agencies (ASANRA), which kicked off on Monday. Lutombi explained that the quality of road networks strongly affects economic performance.
“Road transport is essential to economic growth and poverty reduction,” he said.
He added that Namibia has several high-quality roads connecting the Port of Walvis Bay to fast-growing, landlocked neighbours such as Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These routes form key economic corridors that support trade in the region. However, Lutombi warned that growing traffic on these corridors is putting pressure on the country’s road network. This increase affects road safety, shortens the lifespan of the roads, and raises maintenance costs. “To unlock the full potential of these corridors, we must build new roads and upgrade existing ones,” he said. He added that continuous maintenance is necessary to keep goods moving smoothly across Namibia and to neighbouring countries. “The health of SADC lies in road safety.
The SADC road network has, in recent years, become very unsafe. This is a burden our countries cannot continue to carry. Therefore, going forward, as agencies tasked with managing the regional road network, we should prioritise innovative road-infrastructure designs that enhance road safety.
Let us join hands and continue working together as a community in implementing the SADC protocol for the benefit and safety of our networks. I have always believed that good roads will create a strong economy and reduce poverty in the SADC region,” he said. The ASANRA is an association of road agencies in Southern Africa, including the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL). ASANRA is a key partner in the Southern Strategy for Transport and Trade (SSATP). Its members are mainly Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.It focuses on improving road infrastructure and transport within the Southern African region. The association primarily includes national road agencies from SADC countries. ASANRA works collaboratively with other organisations like the SSATP to support regional transport initiatives ASANRA’s acting president, Ephatar Mlavi, said roads are very important for development of the country, and he praised Namibia for always maintaining its roads, as it contributes to the GDP. The roads carry 90% of the cargo.
“This meeting is very important, and we thank the ministry of works through RA for organising this meeting where we share ideas of the SADC roads, and we are learning from Namibia as one of the countries with beautiful roads,” he said.
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