Tanzania-DRC-Kenya corridors vital to expanding intra-regional trade, contributing to AfCFTA success

Trade corridors between Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and between the latter and Kenya have been highlighted as the key links that will drive trade within the East African region by the year 2035.
Increased infrastructure interconnectivity by the African states is widely seen as the key driver that will contribute to the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Within the Southern Africa region, higher integration will drive its share of total intra-Africa exports to over 30% over the next decade. The role played by the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region and the Middle East-East Africa corridors in the growth in intra-Africa trade will also be substantial, with combined trade volume expected to reach almost $200 billion by the middle of the next decade. This comes after some AfCFTA member states expressed concern that the African trade system has failed to grow beyond the estimated 14-15% over the last three to four years.
When it comes to the growth in infrastructure connectivity in East Africa, Tanzania is leading the way in that it is transforming to become the continent’s greatest transportation corridor. The comprehensive transportation developments in Tanzania, spearheaded by the President Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan, are strategically designed to boost economic growth, enhance regional trade, and foster regional integration. One particularly important corridor for trade connecting Tanzania with the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda is the so-called Central Corridor that links these five countries with other economic corridors and seaports across the continent. This whole transformation by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration is anchored in large-scale investments in transportation infrastructure, encompassing rail, road, air, and sea connectivity, all of whom act as a significant agent in promoting the African Continental Free Trade Act.