Road congress under way
The three-day meeting is being hosted by the Roads Authority and aims to help policymakers translate challenges into plans.
Namibia is hosting the second International Road Federation (IRF) Africa regional congress, with over 100 delegates attending.
The three-day congress, hosted by the Roads Authority of Namibia, aims to help policymakers, planners and infrastructure operators to translate challenges into concrete policies and plans.
Officially opening the event this week, works and transport minister Alpheus !Naruseb said one of Namibia's main priorities was to maintain the existing road infrastructure to avoid deterioration.
The country also aimed to develop the road network in previously neglected areas and to upgrade road links.
!Naruseb said the platform provided by the congress complemented these goals as it would assist and promote road safety in the country.
“I am also entirely pleased with the progress which has been made with the road construction projects forming part of the Trans-Zambezi Highway, which is a vital link along the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi development corridor,” !Naruseb said.
According to him, the overall objective of the Trans-Zambezi Highway is to provide Namibia with an all-weather transport route eastward to connect with the road networks of landlocked countries: Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In spite of these noteworthy milestones, the minister expressed concern about road safety as one of the major challenges in the transportation industry of Namibia.
He said regardless of efforts to promote road safety, the desired results had not been achieved.
!Naruseb said for the country to succeed, action should be taken across a range of areas, including adopting better road engineering, data systems, strengthening enforcement capacity, and adopting more comprehensive traffic safety laws.
IRF vice-president Mike Dreznes described regional congresses such as this one as valuable platforms where regional and international transportation experts could discuss and offer solutions to growing infrastructure and mobility challenges.
He added that the IRF's vision met the African continent's need to develop the technical and managerial capacity of its road professionals.
The workshop, held under the theme 'Sustainable Transport Practices: Tools for Modern Connectivity', ends tomorrow.
NAMPA
The three-day congress, hosted by the Roads Authority of Namibia, aims to help policymakers, planners and infrastructure operators to translate challenges into concrete policies and plans.
Officially opening the event this week, works and transport minister Alpheus !Naruseb said one of Namibia's main priorities was to maintain the existing road infrastructure to avoid deterioration.
The country also aimed to develop the road network in previously neglected areas and to upgrade road links.
!Naruseb said the platform provided by the congress complemented these goals as it would assist and promote road safety in the country.
“I am also entirely pleased with the progress which has been made with the road construction projects forming part of the Trans-Zambezi Highway, which is a vital link along the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi development corridor,” !Naruseb said.
According to him, the overall objective of the Trans-Zambezi Highway is to provide Namibia with an all-weather transport route eastward to connect with the road networks of landlocked countries: Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In spite of these noteworthy milestones, the minister expressed concern about road safety as one of the major challenges in the transportation industry of Namibia.
He said regardless of efforts to promote road safety, the desired results had not been achieved.
!Naruseb said for the country to succeed, action should be taken across a range of areas, including adopting better road engineering, data systems, strengthening enforcement capacity, and adopting more comprehensive traffic safety laws.
IRF vice-president Mike Dreznes described regional congresses such as this one as valuable platforms where regional and international transportation experts could discuss and offer solutions to growing infrastructure and mobility challenges.
He added that the IRF's vision met the African continent's need to develop the technical and managerial capacity of its road professionals.
The workshop, held under the theme 'Sustainable Transport Practices: Tools for Modern Connectivity', ends tomorrow.
NAMPA
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