The transport sector entails road transport, rail transport, ports, maritime and
inland waterways, as well as air transport. The need to capacitate the SADC
Secretariat to undertake the critical role of coordinating and facilitating
strategic policy formulation and implementation in the transport sector cannot
be overemphasised.
Surface Transport
The highlights of the transport diagnostic analysis indicate that there is a
widening gap in the provision of infrastructure in the surface transport subsector across the region. While roads have improved in most countries, railway
lines have seen minimal improvement. The reports highlight the strategy
adopted by the region in response to these challenges and in recognition of
an urgent need to intensify regional transport programmes, which enhance
multimodal transport linkages and improve interconnectivity. In this regard, the
region adopted a Spatial Corridor Development Strategy in 2008, which has
yielded the flagship programme, the North-South Corridor Project.
The SADC corridor approach to regional development is based on both wellmaintained, operated infrastructure and the provision of seamless transport
services. The realisation of trade projections will require increased capacity
and performance of the transport and logistics sector to serve both intraregional and overseas trade. The Programme for Infrastructure Development
for Africa (PIDA), which is a continental strategic framework for infrastructure
development, forecasts indicators for the SADC region as follows:
• Transit traffic for landlocked SADC countries1 will increase from 13 million
tonnes in 2009 to 50 million tonnes by 2030 and 148 million by 2040, at
an average annual growth rate of 8.2%. Most regional ports handle only 3050% transit traffic, meaning that actual port volumes will be far higher;
• Total port traffic in Southern Africa will jump from 92 million tonnes in 2009
to 500 million tonnes by 2027;
• Current projects for additional container terminals at Dar-es-Salaam will
only provide adequate container capacity until 2020; planning for further
expansion and/or a new port should commence;
TRANSPORT
• OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg will have demand for
2 million passengers per year by 2030 and 3 million by 2040; and
• Lusaka International Airport currently operates at 70% capacity, but
will reach 124% of capacity by 2020. Aeroport de Kinshasa (Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC)) is currently operating at 70% of capacity and
will reach 133% of capacity by 2020. The situation is similar at many other
SADC regional airports.
These findings have been largely substantiated by the RIDMP.
Productivity in every sector is affected by the quality and performance of the
road system. While there is currently considerable capacity on most of the
network, the projections for 2027 suggest the need for widening, construction
of bypasses for major cities, passing lanes in hilly regions and more efficient
border posts. Missing links have to be paved in areas where the network is still
gravel or earth. A major issue across the region is maintenance funding, and
many of the proposed projects are the rehabilitation of trunk roads affected by
overloading and a lack of adequate regular maintenance. The enforcement of
harmonised load limits and related regulatory standards is a major component
of many projects for the preservation of the asset and safety improvements.
1
8
Executive Summary
PIDA, Phase II Transport Sector Brief. Countries are Botswana, Malawi, Southern DRC,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.