A 1.100 km infrastructure project led by three African countries (Uganda, South Sudan and the Central African Republic) aims to boost regional trade and address the challenges of landlocked countries.

Uganda, South Sudan and the Central African Republic (RCA) have launched an ambitious 1.100-km road corridor project. It aims to connect the three countries. This infrastructure, the cost of which has not yet been specified, is designed to combat isolation problems and boost cross-border trade.

The aim is to address the lack of reliable roads in this poorly connected region. This will be achieved by creating an alternative to the traditional corridors through Mombasa. (Kenya) or Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).

Beyond opening up landlocked areas, this project aims to optimize logistics in an area with strong economic potential, but which is underutilized. It would provide new access to international markets for landlocked countries, thereby reducing their dependence on remote port infrastructure. Uganda, already well connected to Kenya by road and rail, could play a central role as a regional hub.

This corridor is part of the dynamics of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), by facilitating agricultural and mining exports, particularly from northern Uganda and southern Central African Republic. It would also boost the activities of logistics operators.

Currently, logistics costs in these landlocked areas can reach up to 70% of the value of goods, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB), a major obstacle to competitiveness.

Despite the stated ambition, the project will have to overcome several obstacles, particularly security-related ones in certain unstable regions such as South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

It is part of the dynamics of the AfCFTA, but faces major security and financial challenges. Its implementation will also depend heavily on the ability of the states concerned to mobilize funding from international donors, a major challenge in a still fragile regional economic context.