The European Union is currently implementing its new European strategy “Global Gateway”, to boost smart, clean and secure infrastructure across the world, and help to tackle the most pressing global challenges, from combating climate change and improving healthcare systems to boosting the competitiveness and security of global supply chains. The strategy supports smart investments in quality infrastructure, respecting the highest social and environmental standards, and is based on a win-win model rather than an extractive and debt-based model.
Given that more than 80% of Africa’s trade is carried out by sea, the strategy focuses on strategic corridors. One major aim of the Global Gateway Africa – Europe Investment Package is to identify and support the creation of strategic, sustainable and secure transport corridors. By investing in the infrastructure needed to easily move from place to place, these ‘strategic corridors” can support value chains, services and jobs, benefiting industries and economies in both Africa and Europe.
It is within the framework of the aforementioned strategy that Enabel in collaboration with the European Union is implementing the “Trade and Transport Facilitation programme which intends to address both physical and non-physical barriers to trade, that have so far hampered intra-African trade and integration, and increase the efficiency of transport systems on corridors and of their management.
The programme is structured around three pillars: 1. Port Performance (Improve the performance of the Dar es Salaam Port); 2. Trade Facilitation (reduce the time and costs for clearance and transport of goods from the port) and 3. Green mobility (supporting the transition towards a low-carbon transport system of goods and people) which will be implemented jointly between Enabel and the UN-Habitat.