The pitfalls of Ethiopian road developments: socio-economic impacts

The desire to make transport infrastructure a universal good that all who need it could use has stimulated research works on assessing the impact of transport decisions on social welfare and equitable distribution of cost, benefits and opportunities. To trigger alternative policy debates, this paper employs the social equity framework and spells out the socio-economic pitfalls and undesired consequences of road infrastructure expansion and the power dynamics involved in Ethiopia. Data were collected and analysed through literature review, and inductive and normative analysis techniques. The paper found that although the massive road development is driven by the country’s developmental state political economy, international partners have stimulated the desire through the provision of finance. Thus, the large sum of money pumped into road infrastructure has depleted resources from other social sectors such as education and health, and created an unprecedented debt burden on the country. Road expansion has also disproportionately affected the poor who have shouldered most of its undesired socio-economic impacts such as the disruption of social cohesion, displacement, congestion, traffic accidents and environmental impacts. Furthermore, it was found that the decision-making process is affected by ethnic favouritism, urban bias and a top-down approach where the rural poor and peripheral areas are deprived of the power to influence decisions and equitably benefit from any connectivity programs.