NIGER’S INFRASTRUCTURE: A CONTINENTAL PERSPECTIVE By rule, two-thirds are distributed to trucks from Niger and one-third to those from Benin. The rate is set for the entire route (Cotonou to Niamey) but, in reality, Niger shippers often sell their ―driving rights‖ to their Beninese counterparts and the rates are negotiable. The shippers then try to recover these costs and compensate for the low rates by overloading, which is a major problem for Niger’s road maintenance. Another alternative is for the importer to indicate Benin as the destination, and then obtain a reexport statement, or pay ―unofficial‖ levies at the border (Enhanced Integrated Framework 2008).

## **Box 1. Should the railway be extended to Niger?**

OCBN’s intention has always been to extend the railway to Niamey. While there are inherent advantages in opting for road transport, it is difficult to properly manage the trucking sector and modernize it with cost-effective and reliable vehicles.

But can 1- or even 2-million-tonne traffic justify an investment such as the Parakou-Niamey railroad? Other railroads in Africa have a similar traffic pattern and have been fairly successfully leased out. For about 10 years, Africarail (Geftarail Engineering Group), a private group, has promoted an extension project and claims that it can mobilize interest from other continents. Based on various studies, it estimates the cost of the 645-km project infrastructure at about CFAF 65 billion, including a road/rail bridge over the Niger River. But others point out that new railroads have not been built in Africa in a long time, and that those that were concessioned out did not require the building of new lines.

Boosting freight and passenger traffic on OCBN’s tracks is an important challenge for Benin, where traffic levels are among the lowest in the region. On average, only 24 million net tonne-km and 18 million passenger-km were registered between 2001 and 2005—levels that put the Beninese railways behind other railways in West Africa (table 7). The situation further deteriorated, and passenger traffic stopped in 2007.

OCBN also needs to enhance its productivity, which lags most about CFAF 65 billion, including a railways in West Africa. At 40,000 traffic units per employee, road/rail bridge over the Niger River. But others point out that new railroads OCBN labor productivity is comparable with that of NRC but have not been built in Africa in a long behind that of SITARAIL and GRC (481,000 and 84,000 traffic time, and that those that were units per employee, respectively). On average, OCBN locomotives concessioned out did not require the building of new lines. transported 3 million traffic units, the lowest figure compared to _<u>Source</u>_ <u>: Enhanced Integrated Framework 2008.</u> other concessions in the region. Similarly, wagon productivity, at 74,000 net tonne-km per wagon, was just a fraction of that of SITARAIL, GRC, and TRANSRAIL. Only carriage productivity, at 900,000 km per carriage, was comparatively high (table 7).

_<u>Source</u>_ <u>: Enhanced Integrated Framework 2008.</u> OCBN’s freight tariffs are the highest in the region—an average of 5.8 cents/tonne-km. Only SITARAIL has freight tariffs comparable with OCBN’s. But passenger tariffs, at 2 cents/passenger-km, are the lowest in the region (table 7).

# Air transport

## **Achievements**

As with many of the neighboring countries, regional liberalization of the air transport market via the implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision has made air traffic buck the trend of global recession. Preliminary figures for Niger show that capacity grew significantly between 2007 and 2009, recovering from the decline between 2001 and 2007. Total capacity increased by 215,703 seats in 2001 and reached an estimated 315,861seats in 2009 (figure 9).

17