Many countries especially in Sub Saharan Africa grapple with coming up with Transport Masterplans that are implementable. It's one thing to have a masterplan, it's another to execute them. In this slide we explore how to avoid the pitfalls

1. DESIGNING FEASIBLE
NATIONAL TRANSPORT
MASTER PLANS,
SHARING UGANDA’S
EXPERIENCE.
Presented at the 7th
Edition East Africa Transport & infrastructure Ethiopia 2022
By
Mutabazi Sam Stewart
Executive Director
Uganda Road Sector Support Initiative
(URSSI)

2. Introduction
Numerous Master Plans developed in Sub
Saharan Africa since colonial times. Most of these
Master Plans partially implemented:
Sub Saharan Africa has many failed plans not
because of lack of skills of its people but rather
lack of confidence by those supposed to implement
them.

3. KENYA
Kenya has the National Transport Master Plan
(NATMAP)
NATMAP envisions long term dynamic transportation
framework with recommendations on investment
priorities bearing in mind resources available and in a
given time frame.

4. UGANDA
Uganda has the National Transport Master
Plan (NTMP) and the Greater Kampala.
Metropolitan Area (GKMA) Transport Master Plan
Both have been revised and updated severally
with minuscule successes
COWI, a UK Consultancy firm was contracted by
government in 2019 to develop Uganda’s Master
Plan (2021-2040)

5. ETHIOPIA
Ethiopia has National Transport Master Plan
(ENTMP) was developed by COWI with funding
from EU at a cost of 1.9 Million Euro.
The Addis Ababa City Roads Authority (AACRA)
developed a Strategic Comprehensive Transport
Development Plan (SCTDP) 2030. Consultant was
Ramboll of Denmark.

6. RWANDA
Rwanda has a Strategic Transport Master Plan as
well as the National Transport Policy and Strategy.
It also has Kigali Transportation Master Plan
2050.

7. SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa has the National Transport Master
Plan (NATMAP) 2050. Was developed in 2011.
The Master Plan notes that: “A shortcoming in
NATMAP (2050) is the lack of stake holder
participation in the context to the formulation
process and to disseminate the strategic planning
to all stake holders.”

8. BURUNDI
Burundi doesn’t have a Transport Master Plan yet.
It however has an infrastructure Action Plan
which also takes care of transport infrastructure
development.

9. SOUTH SUDAN
South Sudan too doesn’t have a Transport Master
Plan.
The country is still engaged in preliminary studies
to develop national as well as Juba City Transport
Plans.

10. Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC)
DRC has an Urban Transport Master Plan for
Kinshasa City, developed with assistance from
JICA.
The country doesn't have a National Transport
Master Plan.

11. Why plans fail .
Weak decision making.
Too many power centers.
Too many informal stakeholders with varied
interests.
Multiplicity of Master Plans with minimal
implementation.
Continuous reliance on foreign planning firms
and agencies to develop master plans.

12. Continued…
Urban Transport Master Plans are not in sync
with National Master Plans and neither are they
aligned to regional local governments plans.
Complicated land tenure systems make planning
very difficult.
Drafters of plans are different from people in
charge of implementing them.

13. Continued..
Lack of coordination within and outside the
agencies responsible for implementation.
Failure to follow through, and ensure plans are
implemented. Plans are most of the times not
revisited. Some officers think they know the
plans through cram work and not reading the
actual plans in detail.

14. WHY SOME PLANS FAIL?
High staff turn over with those who start on
plans moving out before successfully
implementing them.
Personal interests where officers want to keep
coming up with different plans and updating
new ones hence budgeting for the same.

15. Continued…
Conflicting ideas between civil servants or
technocrats and politicians.
Those supposed to implement the plans are
overwhelmed by the shear magnitude of the
problem and don’t know how to confront the
problem. They keep procrastinating. They would
rather do anything than do nothing.

16. Continued…
Some plans are designed based on mere theory
and assumptions without getting reality on the
ground.
Most of the plans are overambitious and seek to
achieve the ideal rather than setting achievable
goals given the available resources and context.

17. Continued…
Most plans don’t have M&E frameworks to track
their progress over time. Even where they exist,
these are more of academic and theoretical than
actual progress.
Some plans once implemented could have far
reaching negative impact and could
fundamentally alter the set up of an area. It
becomes “scary” to implement such plans.

18. How to Make master plans
SUCCEED
Plans are designed based on actual situation
prevailing on the ground. Plans are not ambious
plans once passed and agreed upon are not fully
supported by both technocrats and political
leaders.
Strong mechanisms to ensure plans are enforced
as stipulated and there’s no compromise.
Ensure adequate consultation and coordination
during formulation and roll out.

19. Continued…
The plans should be fully supported by the
public and anchored on promotion of the
common good.
Avoid using expensive foreign experts. It’s one
thing to have well written plans. Its another to
implement them.
Start small with simple achievable plans and
keep on expanding as you build capacity

20. Conclusion
Karsten Sten Pederson of COWI says “, Funding
is an important aspect of transport investments,
but in developing countries the biggest challenge
is often inadequate institutional capacity.
Planning without clear processes, effective
systems and implementation capacity which
inevitably lead to underachievement.”
No plan can be implemented 100% but when a
plan fails to achieve even the minimum target, it
means the designers and implementers missed
the fundamentals right from the start.

21. Contacts
Mutabazi Sam Stewart
Executive director
Uganda road sector support initiative
Tel:+256-772882547
Email: mutabazistewartsam@gmail.com