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Rail Transport : Framework for Improving Railway Sector Performance in Sub-Saharan AfricaIn most of the Sub-Saharan African (SSA)
 countries railways have played, throughout history, a key
 part in the economic development maintaining a dominant role
 in transporting freight and passengers at low costs. During
 the last 50 years, the road transport in the region as
 throughout the world has expanded rapidly due to the
 aggressive development of the automobile industry. African
 governments have invested mainly in road infrastructure
 improvement, neglecting railways. The liberalization in road
 transport and the slow response of railways to adapt to the
 new market conditions resulted in dramatic traffic decline
 in rail transport. By 1990 most of the Sub-Saharan African
 railways were in virtual bankruptcy, requiring permanent
 cash injection and large investments in infrastructure and
 rolling stock. To address the crisis, many governments have
 considered concessions as a solution, and between the
 mid-1990s and 2010 most of the railways were concessioned.
 Currently, more than 70 percent of the rail transport
 activities in the region (excluding South Africa) are
 managed by private operators. The World Bank Group (IDA and
 IFC) has supported most concession processes through grants
 and loans, investing since 1996 more than one billion
 dollars to support the efforts of the governments and
 private operators. The recommendations suggested in the
 present document are based on a comprehensive approach for
 improving the performance of the railway sector in parallel
 with the enhancement of the governance of the transport
 sector. The rhythm of implementation of such a complex set
 of recommendations may vary from country to country
 depending on local conditions and will require, in any case,
 a long period of time. Nevertheless, the dramatic status of
 the railway transport sector in SSA requires rapid actions.
 In this respect, the present work includes a selected list
 of most urgent recommendations to be implemented in the
 first stage. The way ahead for improving the performance of
 railways in Sub-Saharan Africa is a complex endeavor that
 cannot be achieved without the strong involvement of the
 private sector.
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A Review of Institutional Arrangements for Road Asset Management : Lessons for the Developing WorldThe type of institutional arrangement
 for managing roads adopted by a country depends on the
 objectives and performance that it sets for its road
 networks. This paper reviews such arrangements for selected
 countries; China, Brazil, Slovenia, New Zealand, United
 Kingdom, and the Slovak Republic. These countries have
 adopted different approaches in several dimensions, such as
 decentralization, sources of financing, management
 structure, and modal responsibility. This paper reviews main
 factors affecting the efficiency of road agencies and
 describes the steps taken in creating a new institution, or
 transforming an existing one, and assesses the effort
 required to achieve such results. In all countries reviewed,
 the ministry responsible for the transport sector remains
 the authority responsible for the overall transport policy
 and for putting in place checks and balances for good
 governance and management of fiscal risk. The main aspects
 of institutional reforms that can contribute to increase the
 efficiency of road and transport agencies include: improved
 institutional structures, separation of the client and
 supplier functions, separation of client and supplier
 organizations, privatization of the supplier organizations,
 establishment of an executive agency or a commercialized
 (client) organization, user participation through oversight
 boards, improving management information systems, and
 seeking additional sources of financing.
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Results and Performance of the World Bank Group : Volume II. Management Action Records for World Bank, IFC, and MIGAOver the past year, the response to the global financial crisis has continued to dominate development and the work of international institutions, including the World Bank Group. Challenges of poverty and fragile states, environment, and climate change remain daunting. But the manner in which these are best addressed is shifting. The World Bank Group, a crucial partner in the solutions to global development, must adapt to these changes for greater development effectiveness. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) individually face particular challenges in the increasingly multipolar world. But there are opportunities for coordination across the World Bank Group, whether between public and business activities, among sectors, or across macro and micro concerns. Emphasizing these synergies, part one of this joint report discuss recent activities and results of the World Bank Group; part two focuses on select issues in development effectiveness at each institution. A separate volume of this report contains a detailed review and rating of management response and actions regarding recommendations from the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) from recent years.