Vol. 6 No. 3 (2025)
Email: aduot.madit2022@gmail.com | rigkher@gmail.com
Abstract
Rural road networks are the backbone of livelihood, humanitarian access, and post-conflict recovery in South Sudan, yet decades of civil conflict have dismantled both the physical infrastructure and the institutional capacity required for systematic maintenance. This study investigates community-centred road maintenance (CCRM) approaches across six war-affected counties in Central and Western Equatoria, drawing on a mixed-methods research design combining structured household surveys (n = 412), key informant interviews with local road committees (n = 38), and field condition assessments of 214 km of rural earth and gravel roads. The study develops and validates a Community Road Maintenance Capacity Index (CRMCI) comprising five dimensions: labour mobilisation capacity, local funding mechanisms, technical knowledge transfer, organisational cohesion, and community ownership. Results demonstrate that counties with CRMCI scores above 65/100 showed road condition improvements of 38–54% over a three-year period, compared to 8–15% improvement in counties relying exclusively on government force-account or contractor-based approaches. A participatory action research framework incorporating gender-responsive labour division, performance-based incentive structures, and indigenous knowledge integration is presented as a replicable model for road maintenance governance in fragile-state contexts. The findings contribute to the evidence base for community-driven infrastructure maintenance in post-conflict sub-Saharan Africa and provide actionable recommendations for the Ministry of Roads and Bridges (MoRB), development partners, and county-level civil authorities.
Read the Full Article
The HTML galley is loaded below for inline reading and better discovery.
How to Cite
Keywords
Research Snapshot
Desktop reading viewReferences
- Dorosh, P. & Schmidt, E. (2010). The rural investment climate in Ethiopia: findings from an enterprise survey. IFPRI Discussion Paper 00974. Washington D.C.: IFPRI.
- Ministry of Roads and Bridges (MoRB) (2021). Annual Roads Inventory and Condition Survey Report 2020–2021. Juba: MoRB Technical Directorate.
- Johnson, D. (2011). The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars: Old Wars and New Wars (3rd Ed.). Oxford: James Currey.
- World Bank (2021). South Sudan Public Expenditure Review: Roads Sector. Washington D.C.: World Bank Group. Report No. 172341-SS.
- Gwilliam, K. (2011). Africa's Transport Infrastructure: Mainstreaming Maintenance and Management. Washington D.C.: World Bank.
- Starkey, P., Ellis, S., Hine, J. & Ternell, A. (2002). Improving Rural Mobility: Options for Developing Motorized and Nonmotorized Transport in Rural Areas. World Bank Technical Paper No. 525.
- Ministry of Roads and Bridges (MoRB) (2022). National Roads Policy and Strategy 2022–2032. Juba: Ministry of Roads and Bridges.
- Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Chambers, R. (1994). The origins and practice of participatory rural appraisal. World Development, 22(7), 953–969.
- Coulthart, A. & Woods, E. (2015). Infrastructure and resilience in fragile states. DFID Emerging Policy Paper. London: DFID.
- Meagher, P. & Oya, C. (2011). Applying Ostrom's design principles to sub-national infrastructure governance in Africa. Development Policy Review, 29(S1), S85–S103.
- Heggie, I.G. & Vickers, P. (1998). Commercial Management and Financing of Roads. World Bank Technical Paper No. 409. Washington D.C.: World Bank.
- Neven, I. (2012). Labour-based road maintenance in Uganda: cost-efficiency analysis 2008–2012. Kampala: MoWT Uganda / ILO ASIST-AP Working Paper.
- Gillespie, J. & Yannick, H. (2016). Community participation in road maintenance: evidence from Rwanda's Umuganda. Journal of Development Studies, 52(5), 683–698.
- Briceno-Garmendia, C., Smits, K. & Foster, V. (2009). Financing Public Infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa: Patterns and Emerging Issues. Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic Background Paper 15. Washington D.C.: World Bank.
- Collier, P. & Hoeffler, A. (2004). Aid, policy and growth in post-conflict societies. European Economic Review, 48(5), 1125–1145.
- ILO (2014). Sustainable Development of Rural Roads through Employment-Intensive Methods: A Global Review. Geneva: ILO Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP).
- Malmberg Calvo, C. (1998). Options for managing and financing rural transport infrastructure. World Bank Technical Paper No. 411. Washington D.C.: World Bank.
- Tanaka, S. & You, J. (2019). Women's representation and public goods provision: evidence from South Asian road committees. Journal of Political Economy, 127(4), 1753–1797.
- FAO (2021). South Sudan: Agro-Ecological Zoning and Rainfall Analysis Report. Juba: FAO South Sudan Country Office.
- UNHCR/IOM (2023). South Sudan Displacement Tracking Matrix: Returns Assessment Report Q4 2022. Juba: UNHCR / IOM DTM.