In mid-June, senior level officials from the Afghan Government and leaders from the private sector gathered at a USAID-sponsored conference in India to hear innovative practitioners from around the world discuss best practices in road management and finance.
The purpose of the “Conference on the Management and Financing of Roads” was to advance the Afghanistan National Development Strategy to provide sustainable financing and management of Afghanistan’s newly revitalized road network. It concluded with an action plan for the creation of an independent road authority to manage the private sector delivery of both road construction and maintenance.
Through donor funding of close to $4 billion, Afghanistan has seen its road network become one of the country’s greatest national assets. However, this valuable asset will rapidly erode without continued maintenance. “Paying attention to road maintenance is one the most vital issues for Afghanistan’s economic growth,” said Azarakhsh Hafezi, president of the International Affairs Committee of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries.