Awaza, Turkmenistan — As soon as relegated to the periphery of Africa’s financial map on account of their lack of shoreline, the continent’s landlocked creating international locations (LLDCs) at the moment are reframing their geographic constraints as gateways to alternative.
On the Third United Nations Convention on Landlocked Creating International locations held this week in Awaza, Turkmenistan, the UN Improvement Programme (UNDP) launched a daring positioning paper calling for a story shift–from “landlocked” to “land-linked”.
“Land-linked flips the narrative: inland international locations turn out to be bridges, not limitations,” stated Samuel Doe, UNDP’s Resident Consultant in Ethiopia. “With the African Continental Free Commerce Space (AfCFTA), Landlocked Creating International locations (LLDCs) can flip geography right into a aggressive edge–moving items, providers, and knowledge quicker and extra affordably throughout Africa and past.”
The technique, which aligns with the Awaza Programme of Motion (2024-2034) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, advocates for transformative investments in connectivity, innovation, regional integration, and local weather resilience–framing LLDCs as important gamers in Africa’s socio-economic revival.
Turning Isolation into Centrality
Traditionally hampered by their remoteness from ports, Africa’s 16 LLDCs face excessive transportation prices, low commerce volumes, and heavy reliance on major commodity exports. Nevertheless, that narrative is rapidly evolving.
The UNDP report highlights key success tales:
Rwanda’s Kigali Logistics Platform now acts as a regional commerce hub, linking inland transport to ports in Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda’s Normal Gauge Railway and revamped Malaba-Kampala hall are repositioning the nation as East Africa’s inland logistics centre. Ethiopia, lengthy with out direct entry to the ocean, has capitalised on its fashionable air transport system and the Ethio-Djibouti Railway to chop freight occasions from 72 to only 12 hours.
“As we collect right here in Awaza, we stand at a pivotal second,” stated Doe. “Africa’s LLDCs have gotten dynamic land-linked economies on the coronary heart of the continent’s socio-economic resurgence.”
Between 2013 and 2024, Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe led LLDC export efficiency with common annual exports of USD 9.3 billion, USD 6.4 billion, and USD 4.5 billion, respectively. Although LLDCs contribute just one.1% to international commerce, they’re more and more very important to Africa’s regional worth chains, supplying copper, gold, espresso, sugar, and textiles throughout the continent.
Digital Leapfrogging and Innovation
Expertise helps LLDCs leapfrog logistical bottlenecks. The report notes that digital providers, fintech, and e-commerce are boosting entry to markets, particularly for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
“Innovation is a key enabler of the land-linked transformation we’re embarking on,” stated Doe.
International locations like Rwanda have piloted blockchain methods to streamline customs and scale back border clearance occasions by as much as 80 p.c. In Ethiopia, blockchain helps producers meet EU agricultural export requirements, whereas Uganda is experimenting with AI-driven crop forecasting.
Nonetheless, digital gaps stay. Web penetration in African LLDCs hovers at 20 p.c, however UNDP sees this as “a progress alternative” quite than a constraint.
Powering Commerce By Power and Infrastructure
Power entry stays one other stumbling block. In lots of LLDCs, particularly within the Sahel, electrical energy protection is beneath 20 p.c. But with huge renewable potential–especially photo voltaic and hydro–countries are starting to faucet into cross-border vitality markets.
Tasks just like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the North Core Transmission Line, and the Southern African Energy Pool are anticipated to remodel regional vitality commerce, powering industries and lowering export prices.
“Many LLDCs are wealthy in photo voltaic and hydro sources,” famous Doe. “We should harness this to cut back dependence on fossil fuels and drive value-added exports.”
Bodily connectivity can be central. Whereas transport prices stay greater than in coastal states, they’re being offset by strategic investments like intermodal corridors, dry ports, and rail-air hubs. These are designed not solely to maneuver items but in addition to facilitate the mixing of LLDCs into International Worth Chains (GVCs).
Opening Markets, Increasing Horizons
Maybe probably the most important improvement for Africa’s LLDCs is the African Continental Free Commerce Space (AfCFTA). The commerce pact, which covers a market of 1.3 billion folks, presents diminished tariffs and harmonised commerce guidelines.
The UNDP paper initiatives a ten p.c rise in exports for international locations like Rwanda by 2035, due to AfCFTA-driven investments in agro-processing, manufacturing, and inexperienced industries.
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LLDCs corresponding to Eswatini, Lesotho, Niger, and Malawi are already seeing over 30 p.c of exports going to different African international locations, an indication of deepening regional integration. Eswatini, particularly, sends 88% of its exports throughout the continent.
Local weather Resilience as Financial Crucial
Amid this financial momentum, local weather change stays a critical risk. From worsening droughts in Chad to flooding in Burkina Faso, African LLDCs are disproportionately affected.
The report urges international locations to mainstream local weather resilience into commerce methods and infrastructure. This contains climate-proofed transport corridors, solar-powered chilly chains, and sustainable irrigation.
“To unlock their full potential, we should mobilise numerous financing, shift from low-value sectors, and construct climate-smart infrastructure,” stated Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP Regional Director for Africa.
To maintain momentum, the UNDP requires the creation of an African LLDC Platform beneath the African Union. This may monitor progress, facilitate cross-country studying, and promote South-South cooperation, particularly in infrastructure and digital commerce.
IPS A Bureau Report
