Reflections on a century of road transport developments in West Africa and their (gendered) impacts on the rural poor

Abstract

This paper explores broad trends in road construction and associated transport services development in two West African countries, Ghana and Nigeria, over the last hundred years and considers their impact on the rural poor, with particular reference to rural women. It draws on diverse evidence, including twentieth century colonial archives, personal ethnographic field research undertaken over a 35- year period, associated quantitative surveys, and relevant secondary literature. Following an outline of each major phase in transport development, an assessment is made of its impacts on the rural poor, with particular reference to women. The study concludes with a review of recent donor policy shifts and the prospects for positive change.

Transport Services and Their Impact on Poverty and Growth in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Recent Research and Future Research Needs

“…Transport services played a vital role in shaping the livelihood repertoires of rural people in sub-Saharan Africa in the last century, but precise implications for poverty alleviation and growth have varied considerably over time and place and between different sectors of the population (Porter 2012a). The expansion of motorised transport services followed rapidly after road construction in many parts of the continent from the early decades.…”

“…In the early stages of adoption, ownership among young people is higher among males than females but may even out or reverse subsequently (Porter 2012a). While phones now enable improved distance management, occasional face-to-face meetings facilitated by travel still appear to be key to maintaining strong social bonds (Samuel et al 2005;Aker and Mbiti 2010;Urry 2012).…”

From Peripatetic Anthropology to the Ethnography of Roads and Motorisation in Africa

“…Walraven 2009 Writing on the Bakoya in Gabon, Soengas (2009, p. 189) points out that the opening of roads by the French army in the 1930s caused major changes in the social and spatial organisation of the communities, which from then on came in contact with "the white people". The construction of roads and the beginning of motorised traffic entailed a rise in inequality within rural populations, as happened in Ghana and Nigeria (Porter, 2012), in a process that began in the colonial period but extended beyond formal independence. In this context, a mysticism of speed and modernity linked to motorised vehicles was developed, and was immediately inscribed in representations of masculinity.…”

“…On the whole, it results difficult to trace the consideration of roads and motorised transportation in the ethnographies written throughout the best part of the last century. Luzón (1988) and Wrangham (2004); Ethiopia: Ramos (2010) and Alem (2013); Gabon: Soengas (2009); Ghana: Field (1960), Dickson (1961), Date-Bah (1980), Geest (1989Geest ( , 2009, Grieco, App, & Turner (1996), Akurang-Parry (2001), Verrips & Meyer (2001), Lyon (2007), Asiedu & Agiey (2008), Chalfin (2008Chalfin ( , 2010, Klaeger (2009Klaeger ( , 2012aKlaeger ( , 2012bKlaeger ( , 2013, Hart (2011), Ntewusu (2011), Porter (2012) and Stasik (2013); Kenya: Wainaina (1981), Munguti (1997), Chitere (2004), Kimani, Kibua, & Massinde (2004), Carrier (2005) Chavis (2012) and Lamont (2012Lamont ( , 2013; Madagascar: Cole (1998) and Thomas (2002); Mali: Fiori (2010); Mauritania: Godard (2002), Retaillé (2006), Chenal, Pedrazzini, & Vollmer (2009), Chenal, Kaufmann, Cissé, & Pedrazzini (2009a, 2009b, Choplin (2009) and Alonso & Nucci (2011); Mozambique: Chilundo (1992Chilundo ( , 1995, Agadjanian (2002) and Nielsen (2012); Nami...…”

Транспорт Як Фактор Конструювання Та Відтворення Просторової Нерівності

“…Навіть у працях представників світ-системного аналізу (наприклад, Самір Амін [1] Про схожі процеси, але вже на теренах Африки, пишуть європейські та африканські автори. Наприклад, такі, як Джина Портер [4], Роберто Бонфатті та Стівен Поелхекке [5], Ремі Джедваб, Едвард Кербі та Александер Мораді [6], Ібрагім Халіл Абдуссалам [7], Шеху Тіджані Юсуф [8], Нвачукву Обіакор та Абуома Агаджелу [9], Барбара Нтомбі Нгвенья [10], та інші.…”