Grand plans for an Africa-wide 56 863-kilometre multi-lane nine-corridor freeway network launched in 1971 are still to come to fruition, which will have a direct impact on the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).According to Tralac founder Gerhard Erasmus, 90% of intra-African trade in goods requires road transport services.The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) estimates that over 25% of intra-African trade gains in services through AfCFTA would go to transport alone.ECA researchers estimate that AfCFTA could generate freight to fill 1 844 000 trucks with bulk cargo and 248 000 trucks with containers by 2030.This increases to 1 945 000 and 268 000 trucks respectively if planned infrastructure projects are implemented.The largest demand for trucks will be in West Africa (39%).Freight from west to southern Africa will require 19.8% of the trucks, and from southern Africa to western Africa 9.9%.Vera Songwe, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the ECA said AfCFTA and Africa’s transport infrastructure programmes were intrinsically linked and should be implemented simultaneously.“Trade demands more than mere elimination of tariffs. Current infrastructural deficiencies, including high long-distance transportation costs and cumbersome border crossings, persist in impeding continental trade,” wrote Håvar Bauck, the founder and co-CEO of HotelOnline in a paper for TradeMark Africa.“A fully realised Trans-African Highway Network could significantly mitigate these limitations.“Efficient transportation links spanning the continent could trigger a tide of trade and economic expansion.”Only half of the planned Trans-African Highway Network is paved.Only the Trans-Sahelian Highway, running nearly 4 500kms between Dakar in Senegal and N’Djamena in Chad, has been completedNearing completion was the 9 400km Trans-Sahara Highway linking Lagos in the west to Algiers on the east coast.According to the African Development Bank, which is a part funder of the project, 97% of the Trans-Sahara Road in Niger had been completed prior to the July 26 coup.Elsewhere, progress is being made, according to Thabiso Malahleha, head of strategy at the SA National Roads Agency.In an opinion piece published by Business Day, Malahleha, who is head of strategy at Sanral, said the company was “together with our counterpart road agencies in other African countries, forging strong partnerships that leverage expertise through a shared vision that can be used to drive not only AfCFTA’s but the continent’s broader road infrastructure agenda, particularly on big projects such as the Trans-African Highways.“The road infrastructure projects in Africa are encouraging, with at least nine Trans-African Highways in scope, spearheaded and funded by important regional bodies such as the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank and the AU, together with regional economic communities,” he wrote.While some of the Trans-African highways are reported to be at 80% completion, others are reported to have missing links in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola.
