RUNDU – The trucking community has been urged to avoid skipping weighbridges so their trucks are weighed to help with the proper planning and management of the country’s road infrastructure.

“Currently, our road replacement value stands at N$120 billion. Namibia has, for the past five years, been rated the country with the best roads in Africa. Of course, we need to keep that up with the available resources from the Road Fund Administration (RFA),” said the Roads Authority (RA) executive officer for transportation, Sidney Boois.

Boois, who is in charge of all NaTIS offices and weighbridges countrywide, made the remarks during a recent commissioning and official handover of the site of the second phase of the rehabilitation of the Dr Sam Nujoma Drive in Rundu. 

Boois said Rundu would in the near future also have a weighbridge. 

“We will soon advertise for the design as well as for the appointment of the consultant for the weighbridge. Next year, we will have N$25 million for the construction of the weighbridge,” he noted. 

Boois said a study that was recently conducted revealed that road infrastructure reduces the level, depth and severity of poverty in Africa. 

They found that a 10% increase in road infrastructure and/or improved accessibility leads to a 5.16% decline in the poverty headcount or the share of people living in poverty. 

“The Roads Authority adopted the Road Asset Management Policy in September 2020 with the aim to ensure firstly the road asset does not deteriorate beyond current condition – and secondly, that road safety is improved,” he said. 

“This policy also adopted the principle of minimising total transportation cost for economic efficiency; therefore, routine road maintenance is of paramount importance by both road sector and road users avoiding damage of roads through, for example, overloading, amongst other factors,’’ he noted.

Boois noted that apart from availing, preserving roads and the management of traffic and transport operations, for the RA, institutional efficiency is a mission critical by also ensuring stakeholder relations and satisfaction in attaining their organisational objectives, hence the need to strive for innovative approaches and strategic partnerships and create new networks to realise a sustainable road sector, which is ahead of national and regional socio-economic needs in pursuit of Namibia’s Vision 2030.