FOREWORD. April 1949

This book Trans-African Highways, makes its appearance at a most opportune time, for, as a result of the war and of post-war development, a network of new and of greatly improved highways spreads over the whole of the African Continent.

The result is that inter-territorial travel in Africa is developing apace, which travel is an important factor in knitting together the African states and in developing mutual understanding of local conditions and local problems.

During the war period the military significance of the network of highways, then in very incomplete form, became apparent. Now that Africa is figuring so largely as one of the world food producing areas, the economic significance of its highways is even greater.

By means of these highways a more highly co-ordinated transport service linking rail, water and air is becoming increasingly possible, and this book will contribute materially in this direction by indicating those roads which are most useful now or can be made useful to fit into the whole transportation system of the Continent.

For all those interested in the major economic development, and for that ever increasing group of Trans-African motorists from all nations, this book will prove indispensable. It will stimulate even greater interest in travel in Africa.

For these reasons all motorists, business or pleasure, owe the compilers a great debt of gratitude. This applies particularly to those of us in South Africa, as the most southern end of the Continent, who must of necessity travel on these African Highways our only outlet by road to the north.