International Donor Funding for Afghan Highways

The United States and other international donors have committed over  $2.2 billion for reconstruction of the regional and national highways  identified in the Afghan government’s Road Sector Master Plan. Donors Have Made Progress in Building Highways, but Status of Other Roads Is Uncertain and Challenges Have Delayed Road Construction

The United States and other donors have completed construction of about  2,700 kilometers of regional and national highways in Afghanistan since  2002, but limited information is available on the status of provincial and  rural roads and various challenges have delayed road construction. The  Afghan government and international donors established the goal to  complete Afghanistan’s regional highway network by the end of 2008, and  as of February 2008, about 60 percent of the network was complete. Although Defense reported completing construction of 155  out of about 1,600 kilometers of CERP-funded civilian roads, project data  are incomplete, and according to officials, they cannot identify the  location of some CERP-funded roads. 5). U.S. agencies and other donors have faced several challenges in  implementing road projects, such as poor security conditions, limitations  of project implementers, and starting construction with limited planning. These factors have contributed to project delays and cost increases. Little Is Known about the Impact of Road Projects in Afghanistan

U.S. agencies involved in road reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan know  little about the impact of road projects, since they have not conducted  assessments to determine the degree to which the projects have achieved  economic development and humanitarian assistance goals. 9). Defense Has Not Assessed the Impact of and Lacks Clear Guidance for CERP Projects

Defense has not conducted any impact assessment of its civilian road  projects. A Fiscally Sustainable Road Maintenance Program for Afghan Roads Has Not Been Established

A fiscally sustainable program for road maintenance has not been  established, although the Afghan government and international donors set  a goal to do so by the end of 2007. Several factors have contributed to the  Afghan government’s maintenance shortfall, including (1) its lack of  human and financial resources, (2) a fragmented institutional organization,  and (3) the lack of a comprehensive legal framework and means to  enforce fee collection for the transportation sector in Afghanistan. However, USAID did not meet its  2007 target to maintain 100 kilometers of reconstructed roads. Therefore, it is not clear whether or to what extent the Afghan  government has increased its support for road maintenance. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive data on U.S.-funded road  projects, as agencies are not reporting information for all their civilian  road projects to a USAID database. We limited our review of results frameworks to USAID’s overall  Performance Management Plan, and its REFS and IRP programs. No.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Afghan government, the United States, and other donors consider road reconstruction a top development priority for Afghanistan. Almost 20 percent of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) $5.9 billion in assistance to Afghanistan has been for roads. The Department of Defense (Defense) has committed about $560 million for roads, of which Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) funds account for over half. GAO examined (1) the status of road reconstruction and challenges affecting project implementation, (2) U.S. agencies' efforts to evaluate the impact of road projects, and (3) efforts to develop a sustainable road maintenance program. GAO reviewed U.S. and Afghan governments' planning, evaluation, and funding documents and interviewed relevant stakeholders in Afghanistan.

What GAO Found

The United States and other donors have completed construction of several regional and national highways since 2002, but the status of other roads is uncertain and various challenges have delayed construction. The Afghan government and international donors planned to complete the high-priority regional highways by the end of 2008, and as of February 2008, about 60 percent of these roads were built. USAID has completed its portion, but completion of other portions is not expected until late 2009. Donors have committed to construct over 30 percent of national highways, which connect provincial capitals to the regional highways, and only USAID has completed portions of these highways. Detailed information on the status of provincial and rural roads is lacking. Although Defense reported committing CERP funds for 1,600 kilometers of roads, data on the roads were incomplete and Defense has not reported information on these roads to USAID, as required. Poor security, project implementer limitations, and starting construction with limited planning have contributed to project delays and cost increases. U.S. agencies have not conducted sound impact evaluations to determine the degree to which projects achieved the objective of economic development. Limitations of USAID's funding, data collection, and frameworks to assess results have impeded its ability to evaluate project impact. Defense has not conducted any impact evaluations and lacks clear guidance on project evaluation. However, agency officials have noted some anecdotal examples of road construction impact, such as reduced travel times and increased commerce. Moreover, no other donor has performed impact evaluations. A sustainable road maintenance program has not been established, although it is a goal of the Afghan government and international donors. The Afghan government's support of this goal has been limited due to factors such as a lack of resources and a fragmented institutional organization. As a result, international donors have agreed to temporarily fund road maintenance to protect their investments. While USAID plans to maintain about 1,500 kilometers of roads it built, it did not meet its 2007 target to maintain 100 kilometers of reconstructed roads.