Limits of Integration: Logistics Infrastructure and Economic Connectivity in Africa

Abstract

The development of logistics corridors is one of the key conditions for strengthening economic connectivity in Africa. This issue gains particular relevance in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area, since the elimination of tariff barriers alone does not guarantee the steady movement of goods between ports, inland territories and industrial centres. At the same time, expanding port capacity, building roads and creating dry ports does not always transform transport routes into sustainable development corridors. The aim of this article is to identify the reasons why the expansion of transport infrastructure cannot ensure the deepening of regional integration in Africa. To achieve this, the article sequentially reveals the historical prerequisites for African logistics’ dependence on the “mine-to-coast” model, conducts a comparative analysis of port-corridor systems in West, East and Southern Africa, and examines the role of “soft” logistics, including border procedures, digital services and institutional coordination. The methodological basis of the study comprises comparative historical analysis, as well as the concepts of development corridors, corridor governance and path dependence. The findings indicate that a corridor becomes an instrument of regional integration only when physical infrastructure is combined with coordinated institutions, a stable transit regime and the capacity to serve domestic markets, rather than export flows alone. The main conclusion of the article is that the key constraint on African integration is not so much the state of the road network as the quality of logistics system governance. The practical significance of the work lies in the development of criteria for assessing logistics projects, enabling parties involved to participate in them without reproducing the prevailing export-oriented commodity model.