Confronted with increased congestion of seaports recently exacerbated by Covid-19, many nations and Regional Economic Communities in Africa are launching dry port development projects that aim at shifting customs, logistics services and cargo handling activities to inland terminals situated in locations far from ports. However, in order to maximize efficiency of such structures, their connection to seaports need to be ensured by short and fast access lines that should be integrated in their design. In this regard, railway transport is unsurpassed in terms of its speed, time savings and ability to travel long distances. Unfortunately, this mode of transport is also inadequate or non-existent in many parts of Africa, often constrained by difficult morphological conditions of the territories where railway tracks must be laid.

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A report from IBON International titled Scramble for Africa: A Campaign Primer on the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (available both in English and French), gives a positive judgement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), but also warns about the negative impact that the separate Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that some African States or groups of States have concluded or are concluding with third countries will have on it. These Agreements, notes the report, risk to compromise the regional integration efforts that are pursued at regional and continental level and prevents the African Union from negotiating as a bloc, weakening this institution. The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) concluded with the European Union (EU) are in the spotline.

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