Within sub-Saharan Africa, there are 15 landlocked countries, with an average distance of 1 000 km to the sea, says WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff Africa development, transportation and infrastructure divisional director Vishaal Lutchman.
This means these countries are reliant on infrastructure networks – currently poorly installed and not well maintained – to conduct trade and grow their industries and economies, he notes.
“There is no doubt that the current poor state of transport links between African countries continues to stifle trade and expansion opportunities on the continent,” adds Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Advocate Fay Mukaddam.
“The ability to increase intra-Africa trade, which is essential to sustainable growth on the continent, presents significant motivation for integration. There is a dire need for the public and private sectors across the sub-Saharan Africa region to continue developing key transport corridors.”
The challenge is the numerous complexities to regional integration, such as political instability, outdated and misaligned trade policies and the fact that sub-Saharan Africa countries are at various levels of development, which means there is no common base to work from.
The integration of major transportation infrastructure projects needs to be completed at government-to-government level.
“This is vital in unlocking true economic potential, which also enables the creation of more jobs and trade,” says Mukaddam.
“Today’s decisions will have an impact on the future of the transport industry. “What will it mean if there is a lack of planning and future vision, especially in the face of rising economic pressures?”