Road Transportation and Trade Facilitation Strategy for Central Asia

Changes in trade patterns and consequent demand for transportation are continuing to change in the Central Asian Republics (CAR). Since independence, these nations have formulated and implemented basic strategies to improve transportation and meet changing demand characteristics. International financial institutions have supported these efforts through various lending and nonlending programs. However, the next level of changes in policies, legislation, and management practices to achieve greater efficiency are costlier and will take more time to institute. These changes would have to be backed by a coherent development program with a definite agenda and commitment to create a seamless, international transportation system. The challenges and a systematic approach to developing transport strategies for the CARs are discussed. An overview is provided of the existing demand, emerging trade patterns, and current supply that are the basis for a road transportation strategy to foster travel and trade, with a specific reference to Kazakhstan. The ideal composition of a strategy is discussed along with the issues, constraints, and implementation timing.