Planning of National Transport Infrastructure

In the Islamic Countries

Nigerian Transport Policy Objectives

1. To promote economic development, expand trade, and improve Nigeria’s competitiveness

through an efficient and affordable integrated transport system; 2. to encourage and remove all

barriers towards the private sector participation in the development, provision, maintenance,

operation, and upgrading of transport infrastructure and services; 3. to promote the use of

public transport over private cars; 4. to promote a culture of maintenance and continuous

upgrading of transport infrastructure and services; 5. to promote competition and efficiency and

cost reduction of transport services in Nigeria; 6. to improve the safety, security, reliability,

quality, and speed of movement of goods and people, at local, national, and international levels;

7. to develop transport infrastructure that ensures environmental sustainability and

internationally accepted standards; and 8. to support States and the Federal Capital Territory in

the development and promotion of urban transport systems and local governments in

developing and promoting rural accessibility.

(Government of Nigeria, 2010).

The Pakistan Transport Policy and Master Plan 2017

also reveals a desire to employ a more

contemporary approach to transport planning that requires the fulfilment of a broad set of social

and economic objectives, not only those related to transport performance (see text box) and this

is true for many OIC countries where the need for both transport policy and master plan is

increasingly recognized.

Pakistan National Transport Policy

The policy of well planned, safe, better maintained, and regionally connected transport

infrastructure is the key to unlocking the economic growth potential of Pakistan and will

complement government efforts to improve transport and trade infrastructure. It will also help

enhance local and regional trade.

For many Central and Southern Asian countries, having both transport policy and plans are a

rarity that the European Union (EU) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sought to change

(TRACECA, 2007). In Saudi Arabia there is a well-crafted transport strategy, which is meant to

be a proxy for transport policy. The Saudi Arabia Transport Strategy is based on a future vision

to provide an integrated transport sector that includes all types of transport means to meet the

Kingdom's future needs. The strategy also focuses on safety, effectiveness, efficiency and

technological development, and the strategy encourages and promotes the economic

development and competitiveness of the country at an international level. The contents of the

plan are classical, driven more by vertical approach of developing each mode of transport to be

efficient and effective in their own rights rather than as one integrated system. However, the

Public Transport Plan for Riyadh reveals more insight into the development of contemporary

transport planning practices (Aldalbahi, 2016).

The Government of Turkey has prepared its National Transport Master Plan in 2016 and

Afghanistan has also prepared its master plan (ADB, 2017a). Uganda, as well as many other