Public-Private Partnership (PPP) As a Sustainable Platform for the Funding of Road Transport Infrastructure in Nigeria

Abstract

The road transport system constitutes the dominant mode of transportation in Nigeria, in the sense that it is universally available to all and it is used in the transportation of about 90% of the internal movement of goods and passengers. Funding road transport maintenance in Nigeria have for a long time been an issue of great concern since only about 26% of Federal roads are in good condition and it is estimated that about N500 billion Nigerian naira will be required in the next ten years to rehabilitate the existing road transport infrastructure. The implication of this is that road transport infrastructure provision is highly capital intensive and gradually getting out of the affordability of the public sector alone, hence the need for a more sustainable platform for the funding of the road subsector in Nigeria. This paper discusses specific case studies and potential areas the PPP can be adopted in order to bridge the infrastructural gap in the subsector. Specific models of PPP from which Nigeria can learn from, the Key Performance Indicates to monitor its performance of the partnerships, the ICRC contract disclosure portal and the likely draw-backs to the system among other things were discussed. The study concluded by recommending the coming together of stakeholders in order to ensure effective, productive and result-oriented use of resources in road transport subsector by putting in place a single framework of action that will provides the basis for co-coordinating the work of all partners and forming a single national monitoring and evaluation mechanism that will develop and adopt best standards of practice while also engender market-based competition, cost recovery and sound environmental quality.