Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 18 February 2019: The African Union Commission, through its Department of Infrastructure and Energy participated in the validation workshop of the mid-term review of the Third Development Plan (DP3) of the Africa Transport Policy Programme (SSATP), which was held at the World Bank Premises in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on February 14, 2019.

The participants had the opportunity to review the activities of the Third Development Plan (DP3) including three main pillars: effective policy and strategy formulation, sustainable regional institutions for inclusive policy dialogue and efficient logistics services.

In his remarks, the Director for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, Mr. Cheikh Bedda recalled that the SSATP Governance structure calls for a mid-term review of the programme after two years of implementation to assess the progress of the Third Development Plan (DP3) and ensure its activities are on track and consistent with the objective of the Programme.

The evaluation concluded with very encouraging results at this stage of the programme’s progress. The recommendations made by the consultants as well as the participants will allow the SSATP Project Management Team to factor the outcomes in leading the DP3 towards a successful completion. Similarly, recommendations were made on the formulation of the fourth Development Plan.

The workshop was attended by senior representatives of African sub-regional and regional organizations, major supporters of the SSATP programme, SSATP member States and SSATP technical team.

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the SSATP, which Mr. Bedda chaired, followed the workshop. The meeting took stock of SSATP activities, including new arrangements for better communication of programme activities. Finally, issues related to the administrative closure of the Third Development Plan were discussed before initiating the brainstorming of the fourth Development Plan.

The Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) is an international partnership aiming to boost policy development and related capacity-building in the transport sector in Africa. Hosted by the World Bank Group, it has taken the lead for the establishment of a research network of African universities, in association with the World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS) and the World Research Institute (WRI), so as to address the above challenges and unleash the transport research potential of these institutions.

Note to the Editors
The Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP), established in 1987, is an international partnership which comprises African countries, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), continental institutions such as the African Union Commission (AUC) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), public and private sector organizations, and international development agencies and organizations.

The SSATP is recognized and respected as a key transport policy development forum in Africa, bringing together decision makers and stakeholders, while developing networks of specialists - researchers, operators, and consultants – in most land transport related fields in Africa.

Since July 2018, the Directorate of Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission has been chairing the SSATP Executive Committee.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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