The first road surface type dataset for 50 African countries and regions

Liu, Zixian; Zhou, Qi; Zhang, Fayong; Basommi Laari, Prosper

doi:10.5194/essd-18-267-2026

Articles | Volume 18, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-267-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-267-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 18, issue 1

Data description paper

|

12 Jan 2026

Data description paper |

| 12 Jan 2026

The first road surface type dataset for 50 African countries and regions

Zixian Liu, Qi Zhou, Fayong Zhang, and Prosper Basommi Laari

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Cited articles

Abdulkadr, A. A., Juma, L. O., Gogo, A. F., and Neszmélyi, G. I.: East African Transport Infrastructure: The Cases of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. Reg. Econ. South Russ., 10, 89–102, 2022.

African Development Bank Group: African Economic Outlook 2020: Developing Africa's Workforce for the Future, African Development Bank, https://doi.org/10.15688/re.volsu.2022.4.8, 2020.

African Union Commission Agenda 2063: African Union Policy Doc., ISBN 978-92-95104-23-5, 2015.

Ali, S., Alireza, D., and Parviz, A.: Volumetric insights into urban growth analysis: Investigating vertical and horizontal patterns, Sustainable Cities and Society, 130, 106589, ISBN 978-9938-882-95-7, 2025.

Anyanwu, J. C. and Erhijakpor, A. E. O.: The Impact of Road Infrastructure on Poverty Reduction in Africa, in: Poverty in Africa, edited by: Beasley, T. W., 40 pp., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2025.106589, 2009.

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Short summary

This study developed the first dataset for 50 African countries and regions, incorporating the surface type of every road. It covers 50 African countries and regions. it aims to support the UN's sustainable development goal 9.1. With an accuracy rate of 77%–96%, it correlates well with existing data. It can be used to guide infrastructure upgrades, assess sustainable development goal, and analyze its impacts on traffic safety, energy consumption, ecological environment, and economic development.