This publication forms part of the workof the Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP)on identifying and promoting good policies and practices inrural transport in Africa. It provides an overall frameworkfor identifying, planning, and prioritizing rural transportinfrastructure and services interventions. Inadequate ruraltransport is a major factor contributing to the poverty ofthe rural population of most developing countries. For largeparts of rural Africa, walking and headloading are by farthe most important means of transport, most of this effortbeing undertaken by women. A key element is to encourage aholistic understanding of rural transport. In the context ofthis paper, the term covers both transport at the villageand farm levels, as well as the transport services andinfrastructure involved with the movement of people andgoods within the village area and between villages, ruralmarkets, and urban areas. First and foremost, though, therole of planning and prioritization is emphasized; a processbased on reliable data is introduced, along with theelements of clarity and transparency. The planning processincludes clearly identified objectives, relevant data,resources and constraints, and alternative scenarios. Theintended audience for this paper comprises of officials,planners, economists, and engineers who are concerned withimproving the livelihoods of the rural populations ofAfrica. Since the majority of external funding goes intoinitiatives for building rural roads, it is argued that muchgreater attention needs to be given to the other componentsof rural transport systems. The methods for planning andprioritization of infrastructure and services are discussed,and suggested further research is articulated. Twoappendices providing examples of road planning and districtplanning procedures are included, along with ten figuresinterspersed throughout the paper.
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