Significant investments in rail, road and airfreight throughout the region are addressing one of the biggest constraints to economic growth identified by the logistics sector – the poor quality of transport infrastructure in general.The projects are attracting international finance despite earlier setbacks. An earlier East Africa Trade and Transport Facilitation Project intended to improve railway services in Kenya and Uganda is described in a 2016 World Bank close-out report as having “moderately satisfactory” outcomes. “One unintended outcome of the project is the clear failure of the railway to increase either the volume of freight or the modal share of total freight traffic carried by rail transport on the corridor,” the report states.In October 2024 it was announced that a $3-billion contract to construct a 272-kilometre railway line linking Kampala to the border town of Malaba had been awarded to Turkish engineering firm Yapi Merkezi.It will link Ugandan exporters and importers to their preferred gateway port of Mombasa through the completion of a 364km line between the current railhead in the town of Naivasha to Malaba.Another stalled project is the proposed rail link connecting Tanzania to Rwanda, Burundi and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which came to a stop in 2015 following a fallout between Rwanda and Burundi.Tanzania has revived the plans by building one of Africa’s longest railway lines to replace its colonial-era railway network. Constructed in standard gauge, the 2 000km line will link Dar es Salaam to the port of Mwanza on the shore of Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania, and from there to neighbouring Rwanda, Burundi and DRC.TanzaniaInvest reports that work is progressing on all six phases.Trains started running on the 541km Dar es Salaam – Dodoma line in August 2024. The East African Community (EAC) has identified 10 main road corridors to create a regional network of around 15 000km. Most are in the concept or planning phase. Major airfreight projects include an upgrade of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya, the new Ethiopian Airways e-commerce logistics facility at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, and a new cargo centre at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.Airfreight investment in the region has been shaped by the export of perishables such as f lowers, fruit and vegetables. ER
