Building an institution for rural roads management in Timor-Leste

Abstract

Timor-Leste (East Timor) is a small developing country with a small population and a dense rural road network – a network without improvement and maintenance since 2006. The national road directorate is institutionally weak, with insufficient technical expertise, operational resources and budgeting policies. The private sector lacks engineering and contract management skills. The Roads for Development (R4D) programme started in 2012 and, since then, has established social and environmental safeguards frameworks, a national rural road standard, municipality-based contract tendering, a monitoring and evaluation framework, contractor training and mentoring, budgetary and payment processes, and a master plan outlining arrangements for prioritising and managing a rural roads network. R4D has been improving roads and institutions in a post-conflict country. Guiding principles adopted by R4D would be of interest to those attempting to manage rural infrastructure in a developing country with low private and public sector capacity.