Phase I final report : strengthening road maintenance project, Chad

Phase I was a bold and ambitious undertaking considering the circumstances that existed at its inception -- destruction following the civil war, economic crisis, and political instability. The Office National des Routes"s (OFNAR) administrative buildings and the central workshops were rehabilitated, and approximately 50 pieces of equipment were retrieved from the countryside and reconstructed. The N"Djamena Subdivision became an organized, functioning road maintenance unit. The major part of the project"s planned offshore procurement was completed, including the purchase of 13 Mercedes trucks with spare parts, 6 pieces of Caterpillar road building equipment with spare parts, compactors, an office trailer, and $400,000 worth of shop tools. The Maintenance Training Brigade was established, training 77 personnel and completing 1,763 km of road rehabilitation and maintenance in 2.5 years. Local procurement was a major facet of the project, but problems resulted from OFNAR"s overly complex and slow procurement system and the lack of an adequate system for inventory control. Recent modifications to the system are remedying the situation. The reconstruction of the Djermaya-Dandi Road is about 80% completed, though the actual final cost is unclear. The World Bank has decided to add the money needed to construct an asphalt paved roadway. Through close cooperation among A.I.D., OFNAR, the Ministry of Public Works, and the TA Team, the project goals and objectives were largely achieved. The project successfully helped restore previously unserviceable equipment, rehabilitated central administrative and workshop facilities, and procured the necessary equipment and tools for their operation. It also established and equipped a maintenance training brigade, and trained supervisors, administrative personnel, equipment operators and mechanics. Further, the project initiated systems and procedures to develop OFNAR"s institutional capability to plan and manage road and equipment maintenance operations. These achievements have increased OFNAR"s physical capability to maintain roads and equipment. Thus, the framework is in place for OFNAR to be a technically competent and financially responsible road maintenance organization. With the advent of other donor agencies, particularly the World Bank, future TA in the Phase I Extension of the project will concentrate on strengthening institutional development within OFNAR, installing management information systems, establishing structured training procedures, and developing the N"Djamena Subdivision into a technically competent, financially responsible road maintenance unit capable of maintaining 750 km of road annually. (Author abstract)