A Louis Berger-Egis International joint-venture recently started an European Development Fund-financed 4.4 million euro ($4.8 million USD) technical assistance contract aimed at improving Guinea’s national road management capacity and public transportation infrastructure.

“Poor transportation infrastructure negatively impacts development by slowing mobility and boosting the cost of goods and services,” said Pascal Houdeau, Louis Berger deputy general manager for Western and Eastern Africa. “Lowering transportation costs through infrastructure improvements can have outsized benefits in emerging markets like Guinea, especially in the country’s poorest communities, which are penalized the most by inadequate infrastructure.”

This technical assistance project will contribute to sustainable improvements in the country’s road network. The contract’s overall objective is to support efforts to reform the regulation and organization of Guinea’s road transportation sector. Those efforts are expected to lower mobility costs at a constant level of service and reduce consumer prices, which should benefit the country’s poorest communities. The contract also seeks to integrate national and urban planning best practices into urban mobility-focused transportation policies, according to the company.

This project is part of the European Union’s 83 million euro ($91 million USD) Support Project for the Transport Sector (PAST) initiative and one of five European Union-financed development projects supporting the Guinean government's efforts to promote good governance, protect human rights, and improve mobility and road infrastructure, according to the company.