The role of transport and logistics in promoting trade and regional integration within East African Community (EAC)
Abstract
This paper examined the role of transport and logistics in promoting trade and regional integration in the EAC. The study is expected to be significant since transport and logistics are a major component of business process networks and part of the economic activities intended to satisfy human needs by means of geographical change of position by people and goods. The study was desktop research where it relied on the previous literature to make inferences. The data was analysed using descriptive and multiple regression analyses methods. The focus of the paper was on four items; transport and logistics related infrastructure that discusses the infrastructure by modes of transport in the EAC; trade facilitation initiatives that discusses the developments to facilitate transport and logistics sector and policy, legal and regulatory framework that talks about the transport and logistics policy environment at regional and national transport policies of EAC. The paper also included the challenges and constraints as well as the recommendations. The findings of the study established that EAC’s transport and logistics infrastructure has not yet been developed even to the level of other Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on the African Continent and the rest of the world. The major challenges and constraints of the transport and logistics within the EAC region are; inappropriate national policies and limited implementation of national, sub-regional and regional agreements; low transport network connectivity and poor state of network among others. The paper concluded that since transport and logistics sector is among the key sectors that play crucial roles in promoting trade and regional integration, it has to be developed in a coordinated manner, with the ultimate aim of bringing about a reliable, efficient, safe and environmentally sound system of moving people and goods. The paper recommended that the EAC requires the right set of measures to be undertaken in the areas of national policies and regional agreements, human and institutional capacity-building, transport logistics safety and security, transport and logistics information systems.
Keywords: Accessibility, Reliability, Affordability and Sustainability
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