On a hot, dusty day in December in Kaffrine, a small town about 250 km from Dakar, transport company managers, truck drivers, police, gendarmes and customs officials, and government officials discussed issues affecting the movement of goods along Senegal’s national highway.

Kaffrine is now part of a new region – and the meeting – a Borderless roadshow – shows how that novelty is not going to wear off soon: Within a month, the gendarmerie and police agreed to alternate on conducting inspections of passing trucks at the Kaffrine checkpoint, reducing delays. Other progress is on tap.

“These were good discussions – people heard us and they heard each other,” said Drame Seck, transport director in Senegal’s Ministry of Transport. “Things are getting better – stakeholders now understand the level of the problems and they’re looking for solutions.”

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Across West Africa, Borderless roadshows have led to similar impacts. In Ghana, a caravan with the Ghana Shippers’ Authority has seen a sustained decrease in harassment, drivers report. In Cote d’Ivoire, a special unit including officers from the gendarmerie and the police has led to a pledge to radically cut the number of checkpoints. And in Togo, all police checkpoints have been eliminated along the national highway – a dramatic change that, if sustained, would mark a significant first.

Any progress is satisfying, stakeholders said, but the uneven change across the region often mean that improvements in one country are offset by worsening conditions elsewhere. Too often, pledges in the past have failed to lead to real change on the ground or change that is fleeting – within a month or so, checkpoints have been resurrected.

Delays remain a serious problem particularly in ports, said the managing director of an import/export company that works in Benin and Togo.

“Trucks are waiting for as long as week to be processed,” the manager said. “That causes significant problems in the landlocked countries. They need to simplify procedures and ensure that all countries are using the same documentation.”

“I haven’t noticed a significant change compared to a year ago,” said one trucking company manager in Mali. Still, she said, the fact that people are actually talking represented progress. Others agreed – and credited the Borderless roadshows.

“These workshops are very useful,” said Mario Aliko, representative of companies that export fruit in Cote d’Ivoire. “They allow each one to develop his knowledge and bring ideas, and after hearing all these ideas, to find the solutions to the problems we’re seeing.”

A new Borderless Alliance newsletter now presents the latest information to stakeholders on road governance, transport policy and other related news.

Stakeholders will continue discussing the issues and identifying solutions at these upcoming Borderless events. Dates are subject to change – contact bgowonu [at] watradehub [dot] com (Bright Gowonu) of the Borderless Alliance Secretariat for the latest details.

• February 2 Borderless Roadshow in Kumasi, Ghana
• February 23 Borderless Roadshow in Bamako, Mali 
• March 5-9 Borderless road governance caravan, Cote d’Ivoire
• March 15 Borderless Transport Workshop, Lome, Togo
• March 22 Borderless Roadshow, Dakar, Senegal
• March 29 Borderless Transport Workshop, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso