Many parts of Africa have ambitious road building plans for the next few decades. But clients and contractors are facing problems with the quality and supply of bitumen, delegates at the Argus Africa Bitumen conference were told. If there was one overriding message to come out of the conference, held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in February, it was the need for reliable supplies and quality of bitumen. Several of the speakers spoke of the challenges faced by contractors who are struggling to get hold of the right product, or indeed any product at all in some cases. Jacob Ruwa, executive director of the Kenya Road Boards said that suppliers provided "just any" bitumen which was often not suitable for the tropical environment, or came from many sources leading to inconsistencies. "There are too many brokers masquerading as bitumen suppliers," he said.
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