International Day of Awareness of the Special Development Needs and Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries
What Africa’s landlocked countries teach us about regional integration
For many African businesses looking to grow across borders, regional integration is fast becoming a practical requirement. From trade facilitation to infrastructure, customs processes, and people mobility, integration influences how efficiently goods, services, and talent can move. Interestingly, some of the strongest use cases for the benefits of regional integration come from countries that are landlocked.
Africa has 16 landlocked countries. Without direct access to ports, they face inherent logistical and economic challenges. Yet these same constraints have driven a number of them to invest heavily in regional ties and collaboration, creating models that other countries, including coastal ones, can learn from.
In the East African region, countries like Rwanda and Uganda have significantly improved trade performance by relying on regional trade blocs such as the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). These partnerships have helped reduce non-tariff barriers, harmonise customs procedures, and create one-stop border posts that shorten clearance times. For most organisations, these systems mean faster turnaround for goods, greater predictability, and lower costs. The EAC’s electronic cargo tracking system and COMESA’s Yellow Card insurance scheme are examples of regional solutions that help reduce friction for cross-border transporters and traders.
Landlocked countries have prioritised transport and energy corridors linking them to seaports and major markets. Zambia’s use of the Walvis Bay Corridor in Namibia and Uganda’s reliance on the Northern Corridor through Kenya are examples of how infrastructure is shared and co-developed for mutual benefit. These corridors not only support the movement of goods—they also shape investment decisions. A manufacturer setting up in Rwanda or Malawi today does so knowing there are mapped-out logistics routes, fuel stops, and border controls geared for export or regional supply chains. For investors and exporters, this level of predictability is increasingly valuable.
Because of their geographic limitations, countries such as Ethiopia have taken a strategic approach to diplomacy. Beyond bilateral agreements with neighbours like Djibouti and Kenya, Ethiopia has invested in cross-border railway networks and port infrastructure—moves that have helped secure long-term access to critical trade routes.
This kind of strategic foresight offers lessons for regional business expansion. Whether it is joint ventures in logistics hubs or shared energy infrastructure, landlocked countries often take a longer view of cooperation, knowing their growth depends on reliable external partnerships.
Free movement protocols have also benefited landlocked countries. Citizens of Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda can travel across borders using only national IDs under EAC agreements. This not only eases business travel and tourism but also supports cross-border labour, education, and services. For companies building regional teams or serving mobile populations, such frameworks reduce complexity in hiring, certification, and service delivery. They also help build a common regional identity, which matters in sectors like fintech, agribusiness, or healthcare, where user familiarity and trust are key.
In many ways, landlocked countries have had to innovate out of necessity. Rwanda’s investment in digital customs, Ethiopia’s pursuit of dry ports, and Zambia’s public-private partnerships in transport logistics show how limitations can lead to practical, scalable solutions. This pragmatic approach may be exactly what the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) needs—less focus on aspirational targets and more attention to what works on the ground.
People often discuss regional integration in political or policy terms, but businesses experience its real impact directly. For African professionals and entrepreneurs, the examples set by landlocked countries show that integration can work as a set of operational tools that ease trade, reduce risk, and open new markets. Whether you are expanding your footprint in East Africa, sourcing from the interior of Southern Africa, or distributing across COMESA states, understanding the regional landscape—and how landlocked countries have navigated it—can inform more strategic decisions.
