The SADC regional railways, which are extensive and contiguous, operated on a common gauge (Cape), should be operating as seamless, relatively fast crossborder services, but are instead operated as a collection of national systems. Common technical, operating and safety standards need to be established and enforced in order for railways to operate across borders under the oversight of a regional regulator. The formulation of a multilateral regional business agreement between railways needs to be negotiated to facilitate migration from the existing constraints of bilateral agreements. The SADC railways generally operate well below their original design capacity, yet they cannot increase their volumes because of poor track condition, lack of locomotive and wagon availability and low operating capital. The Sector Plan suggests projects to revitalise the existing railways, build missing links (especially those serving the mining sector) and rehabilitate the Sena line to Beira and Malawi, the Lobito line in Angola and of the SNCC system in the DRC. National port authorities do the port planning and development. While regional and international associations, respectively, play an important role in this sub-sector, the SADC Secretariat’s ability to facilitate and coordinate maritime policy and strategic planning is currently compromised by a lack of commensurate capacity, critical to the realisation of regional objectives in this sub-sector. More private sector participation should be considered for terminal operations, as is the case at Dar-es-Salaam and Beira. Enhancing maritime safety and security is a major port goal which impacts on the cost of maritime transportation. Most regional ports are currently operating near or over capacity. Some of the factors causing delays and high costs are poor port/road and port/rail interfaces, poor handling capabilities and equipment, congested access routes, inefficient layouts, insufficient use of operating software, insufficient berths and drafts and slow clearances by regulatory agencies and transport operators. Despite the current expansion programmes at most of the region’s ports, there is apparently an urgent need to increase port capacity and landside access beyond the projects already in the pipeline, particularly for existing deep-water ports such as Nacala and Walvis Bay. Angola is engaged in a major expansion of its airports and the terminals in Gaborone, Kinshasa, Windhoek, Victoria Falls, Kariba and Buffalo Range Airports are currently being expanded. According to PIDA, other regional airports, such as the international airports in Lusaka, Lilongwe, Mauritius and Dar-es-Salaam, will need expansion before 2020. Intermodal Development A number of dry port projects are under construction or in the planning stages to facilitate mode interface in the network. The rail link from Mchinji (Malawi) to Chipata (Zambia) will have a cargo terminal to serve the adjacent part of Zambia with rail access through Malawi to the Mozambican seaports. A dry port at Dona Ana and a container terminal at Tete (Mozambique) are planned in conjunction with the rehabilitation of the Sena railway line to serve Malawi and eastern Zambia. Other dry ports are planned for Lusaka, Kitwe and Edeola in Zambia, outside Dar-esSalaam in Tanzania, at the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border between South Africa and Mozambique and at Walvis Bay in Namibia. The RIDMP identifies key transport projects for roads, railways, inland waterways, land borders, air and seaports , at a cost of 100 US$ billion over the fifteen (15) plan period. Air Transport Air transport is a global enterprise based on commercial considerations and governed by international conventions that stipulate Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). There is need to expedite the establishment of an oversight body at SADC level to augment the safety oversight capacity of national civil aviation authorities and to facilitate the harmonisation of regulatory and operating systems and procedures. Private or quasi-private operation of airports, airport services and air navigation services might be explored in the context of establishing a regional body. Issues of market access in compliance with the continental market liberalisation initiatives within the framework of the Yamoussoukro Decision are being addressed within the Tripartite (COMESAEAC-EADC) context through the establishment of a Joint Competition Authority and Competition Regulations. Identified priorities for cooperation include the integration of the regional upper airspace, implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision, incorporation of ICAO SARPs into national legislation and the establishment of joint regional training institutions. The SADC region has numerous airports, many of which are currently being upgraded. OR Tambo International Airport, which is the largest airport, serves as a regional hub for flights coming into the region and intra-regional flights. Executive Summary 9