What to expect at the inaugural Road User Charging Conference Middle East & Africa on June 04-05 at the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi…
Set to be held on 04-05 June 2024 in Abu Dhabi, the first-ever Road User Charging Conference Middle East & Africa will highlight the latest tolling technologies, road-user charging (RUC) projects and intelligent transport systems being implemented across the region.
This brand-new, dedicated industry event will bring together leading public- and private-sector transportation professionals from organisations and businesses based in countries across the Middle East and Africa to share best practices, ideas, and information on how to better regulate traffic and generate revenues on highways and major arterial roads in and out of the region’s most congested cities.
Among the public-sector professionals confirmed to join the event, which takes place across two days at the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Tower, are Tariq Alsuwaidi, economics expert at the UAE’s Ministry of Economy; Patience Shuro, revenue operations director, Zimbabwe National Road Administration; Yasser Al Zannan, senior economic specialist, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance; Siveshni Pillay, project manager, planning, toll and traffic, South African National Roads Agency; Zeina Nazer, co-founder, Cities Forum; Üsame Ekici, civil engineer, Turkey Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure; Rita Ohene Sarfoh, director of policy and planning at Ghana’s Ministry of Roads & Highways; Victress Pilemon, transportation analyst, ITS Nigeria; Zeina Nazer, co-founder of Cities Forum.
Together, these speakers and others, will deliver sessions on ways to better regulate traffic and generate revenues on highways and major arterial roads in and out of the region’s most congested cities.
For example, Üsame Ekici will present Turkey’s high-speed toll system, providing a history of tolling and payment methods on Turkish highways before highlighting the benefits of the conversion to a high-speed toll system and explaining road-user charging rates such as taxes and toll fares.
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Siveshni Pillay will discuss an electronic tolling solution implemented in Gauteng, South Africa across 201km of the country’s busiest freeway network. In this session, Pillay will go on to explain how, to realise the full potential of the technology and infrastructure – especially a transaction clearing house – funded by the toll road user, numerous value-added services have been developed to ‘sweat the asset’ and provide more value to the account holder.
Elsewhere in the programme, Patience Shuro will discuss the dynamics of tolling in Zimbabwe, including an overview of Zimbabwe’s road-tolling system, the use of toll funds to alleviate traffic congestion and the impact of road-user fees on the country’s road infrastructure network, while Victress Pilemon will talk about the reintroduction of toll plazas on Nigeria’s federal roads and explain how toll roads improve connectivity across Nigeria’s major cities before questioning the long-term impact of enforcing Nigeria’s tolling policy
Several partners have also been announced for the event, including Egis, a multinational company headquartered in France that provides engineering, project structuring, and operations services in the fields of transport, city development, building, water, environment, and energy, in addition to US libertarian think-tank the Reason Foundation, and Aurora Insights – Akabo Media’s brand-new research and business intelligence service with a sector focus on tolling and RUC.
At the event, Sascha Ruja, business development director, consulting and operations, Egis, will explain the interplay between road-charging policy and technology to address traffic problems and reveal the key success factors for road charging design and technology selection, while the Reason Foundation’s vice president of policy, Dr Adrian Moore, will discuss how US states can, and should, start working on RUC schemes.
This is just a taste of what to expect from a brand-new event that forms part of Akabo Media’s global Road User Charging Conference series, which now boasts established editions in Brussels, Belgium (the original Road User Charging Conference), Singapore (Road User Charging Conference Asia Pacific), and Miami, Florida (Road User Charging Conference USA).
Meet our partners
Thought Leadership Partner
A major player in public-private partnerships, Egis operates more than 4,500km of roads, 92k of tunnels and 20 airports – on five continents. Active in the consulting, construction engineering and mobility service sector, the diversity of Egis’ projects allows it to provide deep expertise for the benefit of its clients. Founded and headquartered in France, and with operations in 120 countries and 19,500 employees, the company’s purpose is to develop transport infrastructure that connects people and communities worldwide in innovative and sustainable ways.
www.egis-group.comNGO Partner
Founded in 1978, Reason Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation in the USA that focuses on an array of policy issues, including transportation, where its research focuses on user fee funding and sensible financing of transportation projects, efficient project delivery, and competitive and customer-driven services that embrace technological innovations. Through practical and innovative approaches to complex problems, Reason seeks to change the way people think about issues and promote policies that allow and encourage individuals and voluntary institutions to flourish.
www.reason.org
Partner
Aurora Insights is Akabo Media’s brand-new research and market intelligence service, with a sector focus on tolling and road-user charging. It offers a subscription-based service that entitles subscribers to exclusive video, audio and written content, including post-conference reports and analysis. The content is global, covering regions such as UK, Europe, America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. All research is the culmination of Akabo Media’s 20-year history within the conference space, with the Road User Charging Conference series’ presentations, surveys, registration data and feedback acting as the driving force behind the platform’s content.
www.aurorainsights.co.uk
- The most up-to-date agenda for Road User Charging Conference Middle East & Africa 2024 is online at www.roaduserchargingconferencemea.com. For partnership enquiries, contact Germantas Kneita at germantas.kneita@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 8457 5929. For speaking opportunities, contact Shelby Laviniere at shelby.laviniere@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 4574 2466. For delegate enquires, contact Kajal Ravalia at kajal.ravalia@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 8037 1777
