Often, global policy suffers from misunderstanding by those who stand to gain from it. It will be important for UNESCO to complete the circle of mass communication of the UN's policy papers and studies more efficiently. For many people, especially Africans, Sustainable development means NO development or Restricted prosperity. A campaign of discernments is overdue. Perhaps Sustainable development ought to be re-named Economic Development.
 
The next step for Sotra of Ivory Coast ought to be to make, in Ivory Coast or another country in the region, the chassis and engine components that are now imported from other continents. What this will do is create more jobs in the subregion, utilize raw materials that are mined in the subregion but have to be shipped abroad for re-processing and export of the finished-product back to Ivory Coast at un-economic prices. I encourage Mali, Burkina Faso, La Guinea, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea Bissau to place their orders for these new buses by Sotra and establish Parts manufacturing plants in their own countries along with the attendant mechanical engineering research institutes. The boat building component should be simultaneously developed.
 
This industry and its development must be looked at more regionally for it to be a model of Economic Development. There should be a concerted research effort to harness solar and bio-fuel energies to power the buses and all vehicles in the subregion. A commensurate effort must be made in recycling all the parts of derelict vehicles. In effect, a cradle to grave approach to the industry will engender more economies of scale and a much higher return on investments. All these countries must work together to make this effort a success that can be duplicated in other regions of Africa. I encourage an emphasis on indigenous research and education. Haruna.
 






Ivorians hail first home-built buses 








By John James BBC News, Abidjan 




 
African bus commuters have different needs from Europeans, it is said 
Commuters in Ivory Coast can now travel around town on the first ever buses designed for and built in the region. 
The engineering arm of the national transport company, Sotra, decided it could save money and create a bus better suited to African conditions. 
"We want the transfer of technology in Africa, and we want to build our own buses with our own specification," says Sotra Industries director Mamadou Coulibaly. 
"In Europe the technology is very sophisticated with lots of electronic devices. In Africa we don't need this. 
"We just need robust buses because our roads are not very well done like in Europe. This is an African design for Africa." 
The first three buses hit the streets on Thursday, and more of the vehicles are rolling off the production line. 
Squash 
Public buses in Abidjan are extremely popular and are frequently tightly packed despite the sweltering heat and lack of air-conditioning. 






 

 It's not true that if you're in a civil war you can't do things because you see yourself that during the crisis we tried to build big projects 

Sotra's Mamadou Coulibaly
The new urban bus has fewer seats than a Western bus, meaning up to 100 people can be squeezed inside. 
"I think it's a good thing. It'll help students to move about in more comfort," says Isaac Gueu, who is studying accountancy in Abidjan. 
But not all bus users are in favour of this launch. 
"If we import buses it's better because we already know their endurance, the pros and cons, so really, I'm a bit hesitant about making buses here," Ahmed Wague said. 
The buses are designed and built in the main city of Abidjan on a chassis and engine base that is supplied in parts from European truck-maker Iveco. 
What is intriguing is that almost all the work on this project was done while Ivory Coast has been in a political crisis prompted by the civil war. 
Continental 
In 2003, a year after the conflict started, Sotra started producing its own boat-buses which speed up and down the lagoon on which Abidjan is built. 
"We tried to launch these projects because we can prepare for the post-crisis period by launching such projects," said Mr Coulibaly. 





 
The company plans eventually to build 300 buses a year 
"It's not true that if you're in a civil war you can't do things because you see yourself that during the crisis we tried to build big projects." 
The Ivorian company has designed three types of buses - a coach, an urban bus and a tourist bus. 
The tourist bus will make weekly trips from Abidjan to one of the world's biggest churches in the capital, Yamoussoukro. 
Orders are already coming in from other countries in Africa. 
The company plans to build 100 buses this year and scale up to producing 300 a year. 
"I think that we have to begin one day because it's not very difficult. We have been to school in Europe and we think that we are able today to build our own buses; there are no special difficulties," Mr Coulibaly said.  
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