STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The Morocco Urban Transport Project is working to strengthen the capacity of urban transport institutions to plan, implement, and monitor infrastructure and services, including through the creation of municipal and provincial master plans, and to improve the level of service of urban transport in targeted corridors
- In Yemen, a World Bank project rehabilitated over 150 kilometers (km) of roads and provided 1.2 million people (of whom 605,000 were women) with all-weather road access.
- In Lebanon, the World Bank rehabilitated more than 530 km of roads across the country, providing short-term employment amounting to around 1.3 million labor-days for Lebanese and Syrian workers. The project is estimated to have benefited around 1.4 million people by enhancing connectivity and access to essential services and employment.
- In Tunisia, a World Bank-supported project built over 137 km of roads, benefiting over 373,000 people (of whom 50 percent were women).
Synopsis
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the World Bank Group (WBG) is working to improve transport infrastructure, enhance connectivity, and promote inclusive development. Access to transport is crucial for economic growth, reducing regional disparities, and improving access to services. High transport and logistics costs due to poor infrastructure and conflict-related damages pose a major challenge, which the World Bank is working to confront through investments in improved, resilient roads and stronger institutions to oversee and maintain those roads. In Yemen, the Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project has supported people’s improved access to economic opportunities and social services, food security via people’s access to humanitarian aid and farmers' access to markets, and the safety of road users through newly rehabilitated and well-maintained roads. In Lebanon, the Road and Employment Project is working to improve transport connectivity and create short-term jobs for Lebanese and displaced Syrians. In Tunisia, the Road Transport Corridors Project is working to reduce transportation costs and time, improve road safety, and strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Equipment, Habitat, and Land Planning in road asset management. In Morocco, the North-East Economic Development Project is strengthening the capacity of urban transport institutions to plan, implement, and monitor infrastructure and services, and to improve the level of service of urban transport.
Challenge
The transport sector in the MENA region faces several overarching challenges. These include a lack of maintenance and underinvestment, resulting in poor road conditions and high transport costs, and widespread lack of access to all-weather roads, hindering essential services and economic opportunities. Road safety is a major concern, and many countries struggle to develop effective management and coordination mechanisms for the transport sector.
In Yemen, poor road conditions are widespread, exacerbated by conflict and lack of maintenance, leading to high transport and logistics costs and consequently higher food prices, especially in rural areas. Climate risks are already materializing: 11 project roads the World Bank has rehabilitated used to experience flood-induced disruptions on average by 25.0 days, up to 51 days per year, hampering rural households’ access to to services and economic opportunities, while limiting farmers’ access to markets. Women in rural areas face especially significant mobility restrictions.
In Lebanon, the road network is largely in fair to poor condition and vulnerable to landslides and climate change. Financial constraints have led to a large maintenance backlog, a deterioration in road condition, and costly repairs. In 2019, 578 road crash fatalities were reported across the country.
Tunisia’s road network is under strain; only 50 percent of local roads, which receive the least maintenance, were deemed acceptable or satisfactory. Disparities in road infrastructure between coastal and lagging regions exacerbate economic inequalities, with poorer regions suffering from unsafe and inefficient roads. Tunisia loses about 4.5 percent of GDP to road traffic injuries, with a high number of fatalities occurring outside cities.
In Morocco, urban transport, including both public transit and private vehicles, face critical challenges. Social sustainability issues significantly impact the poor and women, with transport costs representing up to 20 percent of the poorest households' incomes. Underinvestment in urban transport infrastructure and poor financial sustainability, with many operators going bankrupt, further exacerbate these issues, as do insufficient management capacity and institutional coordination deficiencies at the local level.
Approach
The World Bank’s work to extend sustainable, resilient transport systems across the MENA region is informed by the Green Resilient, and Inclusive Development approach, as well as the WBG strategy for recovery and reconstruction. Key interventions include:
Institutional strengthening and capacity building to enhance local institutions’ capacity to manage and maintain infrastructure projects
Encouraging private sector participation, such as road maintenance through microenterprises, to create employment opportunities and foster entrepreneurship among the rural poor.
Ensuring environmental and social integrity, and promoting climate resilience, including reduction of CO2 emissions, and building resilient infrastructure that can withstand disasters.
Fostering knowledge-sharing and innovation, including through innovative approaches like performance-based contracting to modernize road asset management.
Projects in Yemen, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Morocco illustrate how these approaches are being put into practice.
In Yemen, the World Bank is working to build sustainable infrastructure through the Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (ELCP), which rehabilitates and maintains rural access roads using climate-resilient designs. The ELCP's innovative approach to engage with microenterprises implementing labor-intensive road maintenance works, strengthening the climate resilience of road network while creating employment opportunities to vulnerable households. The ELCP also supports capacity building for Yemeni institutions to preserve local capacity to maintain and operate vital infrastructure service for the Yemeni people.
In Lebanon, the World Bank-supported Roads and Employment Project aims to improve transport connectivity along select paved road sections and create short-term jobs for Lebanese citizens and displaced Syrians. The project supported road rehabilitation and routine maintenance across the country, thereby enhancing transport connectivity, road safety and climate resilience (mainly through improved drainage and slope stabilization). The project introduced an innovative online citizen engagement platform to allow local communities to report any issues on site. Moreover, the project provided technical assistance toward a road safety program.
In Tunisia, infrastructure, particularly road connectivity, to stimulate economic activity in lagging regions is a key element of the World Bank’s strategy. The Road Transport Corridors Project aims to reduce transportation costs and time, improve road safety, and strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Equipment, Habitat, and Land Planning in road asset management. This includes piloting performance-based contracting, while training will support the technical work necessary for implementation.
The Morocco Urban Transport Project is working to strengthen the capacity of urban transport institutions to plan, implement, and monitor infrastructure and services, including through the creation of municipal and provincial master plans, and to improve the level of service of urban transport in targeted corridors. Investments in urban transport infrastructure, such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in cities including Casablanca and Agadir and increasing the number of operational municipally owned transport companies, aim to reduce travel time, improve service levels, and enhance urban mobility.
Results: Year Launched – Year Closed
Across the MENA region, the World Bank’s work is helping to ensure that people have improved access to sustainable transportation. As of late 2024, active WBG projects were helping provide improved access to sustainable transport infrastructure and services to nearly 3 million people in the MENA region.
The Yemen Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project is making significant strides toward its objective of providing climate-resilient road access and fostering employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the food-insecure rural population of Yemen. The project has successfully provided all-weather access to 1.2 million people in targeted rural communities since December 2021 and generated over 682,000 labor days of employment opportunities. Capacity building for public institutions has also been substantial, with 42 courses benefiting 201 participants and training 156 staff members from RAP and RMF-Implementation Unit in project implementation and progressing toward reviving the Roads Asset Management System (RAMS) and the RAP MIS system. The project rehabilitated over 150 kilometers (km) of rural roads.
In Lebanon with the Roads and Employment Project, more than 530 km of roads have been rehabilitated and around 900 km of roads have been maintained, with around 240 km of roads benefiting from improved climate resilience. In terms of employment, the project has created around 1.3 million labor-days of short-term jobs for Lebanese and Syrians. The project is estimated to have benefited around 1.4 million people by enhancing connectivity and access to essential services and employment. It has also enhanced access to agricultural lands and 52 areas protected by the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, Culture and others, including four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of these UNESCO World Heritage Sites is the Qadisha Valley and the road under the project is the only one providing access to the heart of the valley.
In Tunisia, the project has constructed over 137 km of roads and rehabilitated 87 km. The project has created approximately 40,800 person-months of employment during construction and has directly benefited over 373,000 individuals (approximately 50 percent women) through both improved road access and employment opportunities.
The World Bank is helping Moroccan cities enhance planning and build public transport systems. The city of Settat has completed an urban transport masterplan with other masterplans in Rabat, Casablanca, and Tangier nearing finalization. The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) of Casablanca opened in March 2024, and the Agadir BRT is expected to begin operation in June 2025.
Graphs and Data Visualization
Collaboration across the World Bank Group
In Morocco, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) collaborated to structure PPPs, by leveraging their expertise and providing advisory services to attract private sector investment and ensuring effective implementation of urban transport projects in Morocco.
World Bank Group Contribution
The Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project in Yemen is financed through $50 million from the International Development Association (IDA). The Lebanon Roads and Employment Project is a $200 million project co-financed by a $45.4 million grant contribution from the Global Concessional Financing Facility. In Tunisia the total project cost is $230 million, with the World Bank providing a loan of $200 million and a grant of $909,000 from the MENA Multi-Donor Trust Fund. In Morocco, the total project cost is $350 million, with the WBG contributing $200 million through IBRD. The remaining $150 million is provided by the Moroccan government as counterpart funding.
Partnerships
In Yemen, the World Bank collaborates with UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), which provides project management and implementation support. This partnership ensures effective execution and monitoring of road rehabilitation activities, leveraging UNOPS expertise in infrastructure development. The ELCP also coordinates activities with Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) to maximize the impact of support for the Yemeni people.
In Lebanon, the Lebanon Roads and Employment Project was restructured in March 2021 in response to the impact of the economic and financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic on the agriculture sector and food security to provide direct support to farmers engaged in crop and livestock production. The small-scale farmers component was primarily implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations under the overall technical leadership and guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture. This component benefited around 26,700 farmers through improved access to inputs.
In Tunisia, the project complements the work of other IFIs, particularly the European Investment Bank (EIB) TRANSTRAC initiative, which focuses on preparing road safety assessments and action plans, and conducting feasibility studies on transversal road corridors, and the LOGISMED initiative, which aims to enhance logistics and transport infrastructure in the Mediterranean region. Additionally, the project aligns with the African Development Bank (AfDB)s road safety strategy, which supports institutional reforms, the development of a national road safety strategy, and the establishment of a traffic management and information center. This collaboration ensures a comprehensive approach to improving the national and regional road network, enhancing road safety, and supporting economic opportunities in lagging regions. Moreover, the World Bank has provided technical assistance on sector sustainability and participated in consultations with the EIB and AfDB. This collaboration has helped identify investment and technical assistance priorities, ensuring a strategic approach to sector financing and technical assistance.
Looking Ahead
The World Bank's strategic direction in Yemen focuses on enhancing climate resilience and inclusive growth by continuing investments in infrastructure and capacity building, an approach replicated in other conflict-affected regions to ensure sustainability and long-term impact. In Lebanon, one of the priorities in the road sector in the short to medium-term is to restore access to essential services and employment in areas affected by the recent conflict through the rehabilitation / reconstruction of critical roads and bridges. This would not only restore access to basic services and jobs but also pave the way for reconstruction across all sectors by enabling the delivery of necessary construction supplies, materials and equipment to damaged buildings and sites. . Public transport also remains critical to provide affordable and sustainable mobility options for all, particularly the most vulnerable. In Tunisia, the project aligns with the forthcoming Country Partnership Framework, which emphasizes connectivity between leading and lagging regions. Similarly, the Morocco Urban Transport Project aims to address remaining challenges by emphasizing sustainability and continued support for urban transport development.
