Tanzania has called for faster integration of transport, energy and digital infrastructure across Africa, saying stronger connections between countries are critical to lowering trade costs, expanding markets and making the continent more resilient to global economic shocks.
Speaking on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the eighth meeting of the African Union (AU) Coordinating Committee of Heads of State and Government in El Alamein, Egypt, Vice President Deogratius John Ndejembi said Africa needed to move faster from policy commitments to actual infrastructure projects.
He said recent economic disruptions had exposed weaknesses in Africa's supply chains and reinforced the need for countries to strengthen domestic production, expand trade among themselves and improve connections between major markets.
The push is significant for Tanzania, which has positioned itself as a key transport and trade gateway for several landlocked countries in the region.
Mr Ndejembi pointed to Tanzania's investment in the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara), the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), ports, aviation and projects linking electricity systems in Eastern and Southern Africa as examples of infrastructure aimed at improving regional connectivity.
The projects, he said, were intended not only to facilitate movement of goods but also to strengthen energy security and support implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Better regional infrastructure could reduce the time and cost businesses face when moving goods across borders, potentially making African products more competitive while giving producers access to larger markets.
For consumers, improved connectivity could also translate into more reliable supplies and lower costs where transport and logistics currently add significantly to the price of goods.
Tanzania also announced its intention to propose the 2028 AU theme: “Bridging Borders: Accelerating African Economic Integration through Infrastructure Connectivity.”
Mr Ndejembi said Africa already had the policies, institutions and frameworks required to achieve deeper integration, making implementation the bigger challenge.
He called for stronger coordination among member states and greater mobilisation of financial resources to ensure continental initiatives deliver measurable results.
“Africa already has the policies, systems and institutions needed to achieve integration. The priority now should be to accelerate implementation, strengthen coordination and mobilise resources,” he said.
The call comes as African countries continue efforts to turn AfCFTA into a more effective platform for intra-African trade.
The agreement is designed to create a single continental market, remove trade barriers and encourage investment and industrial production across Africa.
But inadequate transport networks, high logistics costs, unreliable energy supplies and fragmented digital systems remain among the obstacles to achieving its full potential.
Tanzania's infrastructure investments therefore carry significance beyond its borders, particularly for neighbouring countries that depend on access to the country's ports and transport corridors to reach international markets.
The country is developing and upgrading transport links while expanding energy infrastructure, with the wider objective of improving connectivity between production areas, domestic markets and regional trade routes.
At the AU meeting, Mr Ndejembi said infrastructure connectivity should be viewed as a foundation for Africa's economic transformation rather than as a series of individual national projects.
He argued that linking transport, energy and digital systems would help countries build stronger value chains, increase industrial production and create more opportunities for businesses and workers.
The meeting was opened by AU Chairperson and Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye, who stressed the need to accelerate African integration and implementation of Agenda 2063 by connecting markets, infrastructure and production.
For Tanzania, the proposed 2028 theme would put infrastructure connectivity at the centre of the continental debate, while also testing whether African countries can turn long-standing integration commitments into projects that reduce the cost of doing business and deliver tangible economic benefits to citizens.