Uganda, in 2015, worked with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to build roads in the eastern DRC, which enabled goods manufactured in Uganda to be exported to this region, benefitting Uganda and the DRC.
During the second day of the Manufacturing Indaba, in Johannesburg, on July 15, natural resource development organisation Uganda Chamber of Energy and Minerals CEO Humphrey Asiimwe cited this as an example of the benefits of African countries not focusing solely on their own needs, but also considering how they could support their neighbours and trade partners through the auspices of regional bodies.
Much of Africa's logistics infrastructure had been designed to enable the export of primary commodities, and there were few inward-facing infrastructure systems that enabled the movement of goods and people between African countries, he noted.
“Africa does not have infrastructure pulling it together. One thing we need to determine under the African Continental Free Trade Area is how to create infrastructure that looks inwards. While Africa presents a market of 1.4-billion people, goods and services need to reach them.
“Uganda needed rigs for drilling. There were many in Nigeria, but without a means to move them to East Africa, it is easier to source rigs from China and the United Arab Emirates. This leaves the continent not working together,” he said.
