International Benchmarking of Lesotho's Infrastructure Performance

Bogetić, Željko

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: AVERAGE PERFORMANCE;    BASIC SERVICES;    BOTTLENECKS;    CITIES;    COMMUNITIES;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-3825
RP-ID  :  WPS3825

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The author provides a preliminarybenchmarking of infrastructure performance in Lesotho infour major sectors--electricity, water and sanitation,information and communication technology, and roadtransportation--against the relevant group of comparatorcountries using a new World Bank international data basewith objective and perception-based indicators ofinfrastructure performance from over 200 countries. Theresults of the benchmarking are revealing of several major,comparative deficiencies in infrastructure performance inLesotho: (1) extremely low access to electricity and itsaffordability; (2) poor coverage, quality, and the cost oflocal (non-cellular) telephony; and (3) poor quality ofroads. Infrastructure service delivery in electricity,telephony, and roads is well below what would be expected,on average, for a country in Lesotho's income group. Inthese sectors, Lesotho also compares unfavorably with manyother geographical country groups. Unless addressed, suchinfrastructure shortfalls are likely to adversely affect thewelfare of Lesotho's poor, and the cost competitivenessand growth prospects of a range of economic sectors (such astourism and trade) that depend critically on a stable andcompetitive supply of basic infrastructure service. Theycould also affect the speed and quality of Lesotho'sregional economic integration within the South AfricaCustoms Union (SACU) sub-region with attendant consequencesfor the long-term growth of regional trade and real output.By contrast, Lesotho's performance is solid in theaccess to improved water and sanitation, in the aggregateand in both rural and urban areas. Finally, thisbenchmarking, combined with more in-depth, sector analyses,could provide policymakers in Lesotho a useful guide to theareas of infrastructure performance requiring attention.