J ust a handful of Africa’s around 420 commercial ports are well connected to global markets and supply chains, according to the Review of Maritime Transport 2019. This is borne out by the World Bank’s “Ease of Doing Business” monitor, in which the three topranking countries in the “Trading Across Borders” category are landlocked. They are Eswatini (35th globally in the category), Lesotho (40th) and Botswana (55th). Next is Mauritius in 72nd place followed by one of the most land-locked countries on the continent, Rwanda (88th). For reference South Africa is ranked 145th out of 190 countries. Despite this poor rating, South Africa is ranked alongside Egypt (ranked 171st in trading across borders) and Morocco (62nd) as having the most connected ports in Africa. Western Africa has relatively low connectivity, as its geographical position does not link it to any major North–South or East–West shipping routes. In southern Africa, four of the top 10 ports of the region are in South Africa, namely Durban, Cape Town, Ngqura and Port Elizabeth. This is largely due to the fact that southern African port connectivity is closely associated with a country’s own trading volumes as well as trade from neighbouring landlocked countries, while transhipment services are not a major factor, according to the Maritime Transport Review. The other ports in the top 10 are in Mozambique (Maputo, Beira and Nacala) and Madagascar (Toamasina and Mahajanga), all of which have significantly lower indices than the top four South African ports. In Eastern Africa, the most connected ports are Port Louis, Mauritius and Pointe de Galets, Reunion. Both provide transhipment services to other Eastern and Southern African ports. The liner shipping connectivity index of Mombasa, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania has been relatively stagnant. High congestion limits their potential for improved productivity, according to the Review. The Review calls for expanding and further modernising existing ports, investing in new ports, encouraging inter-port competition among neighbouring countries, improving intermodal connections and trade, and facilitating transit in order to improve port connectivity.
