Sub-Saharan Africa’s road freight prices are the highest in the world, with average prices as much as 200% more costly than any other place, a World Bank official has said.

According to the bank’s Infrastructure and Sustainable Development Sector leader for Southern Africa Juan Gaviria, this is due to the slow pace at which the freight moves within the region.

Trucks move at a general speed of 50 km/h in Southern Africa, and 35 km/h in Western Africa.

“If we then look at the effective velocity, taking into account border issues, the speeds are probably the lowest in the world. This is really affecting development in the region,” said Gaviria.

The report also said that the road density in the region is between 30% and 40% lower than in other developing countries.

The statistics were compiled from the recently released World Bank’s Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic report, which surveyed 20 road entities among others.