The Need For a Coordinated Transportation Plan to Enable Intra-African Trade and Economic Development

Abstract

The African Economic Outlook 2017 has emphasized that intra-African trade has the greatest potential in promoting sustainable economic development on the continent as well as ensuring integration (OECD, 2017). Currently, individual countries on the continent have a variety of challenges but lack of transportation infrastructure remains a glaring obstacle that prohibits intra-African trade. In instances where there is infrastructure, it remains useful to a particular country but falls short of being a regional or continental corridor. Where there are plans to invest in infrastructure, it also appears to be uncoordinated in the context of continental planning. This paper therefore looks at the current transportation status as well as challenges on the continent. The paper also assesses economic policies, strategies and plans in Africa in the context of transportation. This is done at a level of individual countries, regional blocs and the continent. The study highlights the imperativeness of formulating and ensuring proper facilitation of a transportation plan on the continent to enable intra-African trade. The paper will also assess and evaluate current transport plans on the continent. From this, it will then identify deficiencies and make recommendations on the route Africa needs to follow to ensure that policies, plans and strategies are in line with economic and trade plans on the continent.