Background and Need For Trans-African Highways
Africa has a relatively poor history of international cooperation in road-building. Colonial powers and, later, competing superpowers and regional powers, generally did not encourage road links between their respective spheres except where absolutely necessary, and in newly independent African states, border restrictions were often tightened rather than relaxed as a way of protecting internal trade, as a weapon in border disputes, and to increase the opportunities for official corruption.
Poverty affects development of international highways when scarce financial resources have to be directed towards internal rather than external priorities.
The agencies developing the highway network are influenced by the idea that road infrastructure stimulates trade and so alleviates poverty, as well as benefitting health and education since they allow medical and educational services to be distributed to previously inaccessible areas.
Read more about this topic: Trans-African Highway Network
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