Toma de partido

restricted role .

Port development plans prepared by the Port Authority have to be integrated in the national development plan.

That is to say there are three levels in the port

planning process :

1. the preparation of the plan by the Port Authority , 2. the approval from the minister of transport and communications who is assisted in this task by the "Groupe d 'Etude des Transports” ( Study group of

transport ) which is a specialised office in charge of the integrated transport plan ;

3. Approval of the plan by the minister in charge of planning.

As a consequence , there is a delay in carrying out development port projects even if such institutional arrangement may be suitable to Zaire because of its

limited financial resources. The delay can take up to one year .

There is also sometimes an overlap of competency among the organisations involved in the planning process due to the fact that the task of each one has not been defined with accuracy.

The ministry in charge of national planning sometimes

deals with the sectorial transport development plan.

This explains the repercussion of the economic crisis on

the transport sector in Africa and the fact that

sometimes transport development plans are abandoned because of the economic crisis (7).

There is also an hierarchy in selecting the projects to be financed at the level of the central planning unit.

This means that important projects for port development will not always be selected at the governmental level. Coming back to the need for national port planning , the following arguments are put forward for its justification.

In recent years, the costs of constructing and equipping new ports have risen so much that they are now generally beyond the means of private enterprises.

Municipality and statutory ports are similarly unable to raise sufficient funding for major developments.

The only bodies with enough financial resources through loans < case of developing countries ) a^re national governments.

Apart from purely financial considerations .however, the need for national port planning can be justified by the following factors :

First , because of the large investments in terms of human resources , it is essential that the best possible use is made of what is often a scarce commodity.

The training of personnel in the latest developments in a rapidly changing industry can and does involve

considerable time and expense ;

Secondly , the free flow of both import and export cargoes dictates that there must he adequate provision for

intermodal transportation.

The national planning of ports can therefore not be

considered in isolation but should be carried out against a background of an overall transport policy , which takes account of future developments as well as existing

arrangements;

Thirdly , it is necessary to provide a means to measure the performance and efficiency of each individual part of the industry , in order to highlight any problems that may exist or come to light in the future.

This also provides a valuable input into any studies concerning the need for additional facilities (8).

For an efficient national port planning process in Zaire the following recommendations are given :

same body , ONATRA , the national port development should be,first of all , ONATRA's responsibility.

This means the following steps ( tasks ) :

* First , there is the manpower function involving the establishment of educational standards for the industry ; the recruitment and training of suitable personnel and the identification of future manpower requirements to ensure the efficiency of the industry.

^ Secondly , there is the planning function involving the collection of statistical data on q^isting operations ,

both nationally and internationally ; the identification of future developments world-wide , economic planning , and the design of facilities to meet requirements.

* Thirdly .there is the research function which involves the measurement of the performance of existing facilities and research into improved methods of carrying out port operations .

* Fourthly , there is a technical function whereby the various disciplines involved in port operations provide an

input into all future developments. (9)

2) The "Groupe d'Etudes de Transport" should be in charge of the integrated transport development plan and the formulation of the national transport policy .including port policies .

The port development plan prepared by the Port Authority should be a component of the integrated transport

development plan.

So , there should be an exchange of information between the two organizations.

In practice , the exchange of information between the two organizations is done through working teams consisting of their delegates.

Up to now there is a good spirit of cooperation , but their relationship needs to be established by law.

3) The ministry in charge of the national development plan should only give general orientation for development

projects and evaluate whether the port development plan

and the integrated transport development plan fit in

the national development plan or not.

These views are also shared by the consultant

Louis Berger in his report to the World Bank

dealing with transport planning process in Zaire ( see "Etude du GET et son ROLE dans la planification des transports au Zaire", volume 1 ,1987 ).