Transporting cargo in Africa is four times more expensive than other parts of the world.
This was the assertion of the panel that discussed the topic Africa’s High Cost of Overland Transport during the Breakbulk Africa Congress 2013 held at Cape Town, South Africa last week.
The panel discussed the challenges of moving huge amount of cargo in Africa where, in its opinion, there is no capacity for infrastructural development.
The panel asserted that governments of most African nations lack the funds to carry out capital intensive projects which necessitate the involvement of private sector investment.
In its further analysis of Africa’s precarious situation, the panel said that with the insufficient infrastructures in most African nations’ and their governments’ unpreparedness to address the situation, it is difficult to convince the private sector to invest.
The panel noted the deficiency of railway infrastructure in most African nations which, according to it, is a cheaper and faster mode of transporting cargo overland but however noted that the transfer of cargoes using railway system in Africa is challenging with the problem of no linkage.
It also discussed the challenges of land borders insecurity, dormant customs procedures, the unorganised structure of Immigration, corruption, political instability among others as deterrents of private sector investment and causes of the visibility of isolated investment in some ports in Africa.
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