20.500.12592/cnq100
Summary
West African Papers Regional Integration in Border Cities West African Papers This report, part of the “Cities” collection, highlights the contribution of border towns to the process of regional integration in West Africa. [...] Border cities also suffer from congestion and a lack of upkeep on the road and rail infrastructure connecting them to the rest of the nation and neighbouring countries. [...] Consequently, the percentage of the West African population living in border cities is ever increasing and will account for 16% of the total urban population at 50 kilometres from a border and 30% at 100 kilometres from a border, by the end of the decade. [...] The map of regional health coverage shows that West African border areas are highly heterogeneous, and that the potential of harmonising the health policies of the different countries has been largely untapped. [...] The model is used to calculate how many people can be reached from each of the border cities in the region, taking into account the extent of the road network, average speed observed and roadside checks likely to slow down commercial trade on the main arteries and increase the cost of transportation.
