Africa is the fastest growing continent on the planet. In order to grow, grow, water, energy and electrical infrastructure is one of the essential services needed. Some governments have made massive efforts to grow their country's infrastructure, making it ideal to foster inter-Africa trade relations. Hello Besties and welcome to another exciting and insightful video. In this video, we are taking you on a journey to discover how Namibia, one of Africa's youngest democracies and for the fifth consecutive year has retained its position at the top of the list of best roads in Africa. At first glimpse when arriving in Namibia via its primary international airport, Hosea Otako, the country appears to be vast with plenty of open spaces and clearly well maintained roads. According to the world's economic forums, global competitive report index of 2021 on the quality of road infrastructure, Namibia remains unchallenged when it comes to the good quality roads in Africa with a score of 5.3 out of 7 followed closely by Randa and South Africa. Globally, Namibia has ranked 22 above countries such as China, India and Italy, which ranked at 42, 46 and 56 respectively and competing closely with global giants such as Switzerland, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, which score 6.2 each. The global competitive report index is charged with the responsibility of ranking of roads worldwide and it tracks the performance of approximately 140 countries on 12 pillars of competitiveness, including the quality of infrastructure development maintenance and urban rural balance. Namibia does not only take pride in its clean environment but it is also amongst the countries with the best roads in Africa. It hasn't always been this way and these are some of the reasons why Namibia has retained its current status. But before we continue with this video, let's take a brief history of the country and if you are new here, welcome. Officially, the Republic of Namibia is the country north of South Africa. Its largest city and financial capital is Vantuk, located in the central mainland. Namibia became independent on the 21st of March 1990 after many years of war with Germany and later the apartheid regime which also took place in South Africa. After independence, Namibia went through massive infrastructure restructuring and economic integration. This led to the decentralization of key government ministries, parasitals and organizations across all 14 administrative regions in the country. The establishment of the road's authority in April 2000 has greatly attributed to the progress in Namibia's road infrastructure and this greatly aided in Namibia's social economic development. Namibia's success is attributed by two important factors, namely an effective maintenance strategy on existing road infrastructure which plays a pivotal role in the prolonging of its lifespan and the upgrading and construction of new roads which contributes significantly to the quality of national roads. The aim of the road's authority is to reach many milestones in terms of developing an extending Namibia's road infrastructure in all corners of the country. This has been facilitated by the commitment of the government through the Ministry of Works and Transport which has continuously accorded it a stop priority. The road's authority will continue to ensure that all damage sections are restored after the rainy season has ended and were needed. Drainage structures will be constructed to mitigate future damages of flooding. This will be done to keep our road networks in good condition as we strive to achieve a vision of having a sustainable road sector. Since its inception, the country boasts more than 20,000 kilometer of state-maintained road that makes traveling not only easy but also a fantastic experience. Namibia's economy is based on capital intensive industries such as fishery, mining, agriculture and tourism with a historic reliance on subsistence agriculture. Namibia has invested remarkably in its road network system and its transport sector has attracted significant attention in recent years due to the extensive infrastructure projects that are underway throughout the country, concurrently enhancing A, C, rail and road connectivity. The longest road and national highway in Namibia is the B1 road, cutting through the country from north to south and disconnecting at some sections, leading to other places. The country consists mostly of paved road surfaces for about 35,000 kilometers and stretching 11,460 kilometers which includes non paved or earth graded roads and another 228 kilometers of south road near the Atlantic Coast Belt. All these roads lead into several places like the National Port and Harbour Town of Walfish Bay which feeds into neighboring countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The government of this southern African nation has made strides to develop all major towns and in rural Namibia it is no exception. While the north of the country is crammed with people, rich culture and tradition, the southern half of the country is open and vast which is stunning to travel as it showcases some of the most beautiful natural landscape Africa has to offer. It is a country with wide open roads that connects shining valleys, shifting sand dunes, rugged terrains and intriguing towns. There is plenty easy to navigate infrastructure with regular petrol stations which means you are really never lost and there is little risk of running out of petrol. For the most part, Namibia road traffic regulation make it safe for residents and tourists if they follow them. There are also hefty fines and penalties for transgression. You can even have your driving license suspended. To drive here, you need a valid driver's license and must carry it on you all the times when driving because you might just bump into an unexpected traffic holdup along the way. Another great tip about driving in Namibia is that all road signs are in English and in Namibia people drive on the left side of the road. When in the vehicle passengers at the back as well as the front should wear seat belts at all times. Another great feature of driving on Namibian roads is that all highways are toll free so there is no need to carry loose change. Be sure to check out the description of this video for more Namibian road travel tips and also tell us if you ever travel to or in Namibia. What is your overall impression of the roads or the country? Thanks for watching this video, don't forget to give it a thumbs up and do well to subscribe and share with friends. Bye, Bessies!