In developed and developing countries, road systems are central not only to the economic health of the nation, but also to the quality of the environment and, in general, the quality of life. Public awareness of this fact has forced road administrations to be accountable for road system performance. Despite the efforts of many countries, there has been no transparent measurement or comparable evaluation standards for road systems performance. But in 1996 The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) embarked on an international effort involving thirteen countries and created a scientific expert group to develop a set of performance indicators to address this need. Concentrating only on issues related to road systems, they set out to create performance indicators that will be comprehensive, holistic, and will help road administrations to evaluate themselves, respond more effectively to decision makers and constituents, and even allow some comparisons with peer countries. The complete OECD expert group report, 'Performance indicators for the road sector' was published in 1998. The performance indicators in this paper, although slightly different from those proposed by the OECD Group, were developed in consultation with area specialists with the intent that they will apply to African conditions and circumstances. They reflect the comprehensive development framework.