Review of regional developments: Africa

Every year, the Review of Maritime Transport gives attention to transport developments in a particular region. The 2008 edition of the Review of Maritime Transport focused on developments in Latin America and the Caribbean. The focus in 2009 is on developments in Africa since UNCTAD last reported on the region in 2006. Despite the global financial crisis, the region still experienced strong growth in 2008 (5.1 per cent), the top performers being the resource-rich countries. Africa’s share of world trade remains at 2.7 per cent. Global port operating companies have sought to expand along the main international African shipping routes, however in some countries, physical, legal, social and economic constraints have prevented them from doing so effectively. A high number of cross-border documents, poor inland connections, security issues, excessive transaction costs and delays are common. This has serious consequences in the case of landlocked countries, whose dependence on transit countries complicates the export and import processes, with costs of imported freight estimated to be three to five times higher than the world average. In recent years, however, there has been a growing recognition of the need to improve port operations and inland connectivity in the region. Even when new investments are being considered in Africa, these could be affected by the global financial crisis.

Related Subject(s): Transportation and Public Safety