National Transportation Policy and Development: A Comparative Analysis

The transformation of transportation infrastructure has been an integral part of industrialization since the invention of the steam engine in the eighteenth century. While innovations in technology have continued to transform transportation networks, most developing countries are still struggling to achieve access to basic social services and to maintain existing, inefficient, and dilapidated physical infrastructure. The advanced industrialized countries have had an enormous advantage in global economic competitiveness as they continue to perfect their physical infrastructure, including the transport network, and high-tech digital infrastructure. In developing countries, the deplorable condition of their physical infrastructure networks has continued to hamper economic performance, posing rising challenges to sustained economic growth, social inclusion, and development. A well-formulated transportation policy, therefore, is critical for a nation’s economic growth, industrialization, and social infrastructure development, particularly in emerging economies.  This paper examines transportation policy and development from a comparative perspective with a focus on developing countries. A case analysis of Nigeria's transportation policies and development is presented, with attention to emerging trends and contested issues. There are implications for social inclusion. A policy recommendation is made for the need to converge social and physical infrastructure to enhance inter-state and inter-regional collaborations.