Northern Corridor: Unlocking Regional Connectivity through Multimodal Transport
By James Mwangi
The Northern Corridor is a multimodal surface transport system linking the Great Lakes Region with the Kenya Sea Port of Mombasa. Member States of the Corridor include Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda.
It also serves Northern Tanzania and Ethiopia. One of the corridor’s key objectives is to guarantee the free movement of goods and persons through the respective territories of the member States. The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA), whose Secretariat is based in Mombasa, Kenya, monitors and coordinates activities of the corridor.
NCTTCA’s main objective is to reduce the cost and time of doing business along the Northern Corridor by streamlining the movement of goods and services, reducing trade barriers, and enhancing efficiency in transit and transport.
In this endeavour, the Northern Corridor Secretariat has implemented several initiatives to facilitate trade and multimodal transit transport. One key initiative of the Secretariat is the Northern Corridor Transport Observatory; a performance monitoring tool that reports on over 40 performance indicators (on the four surface modes of transport; road, railway, inland waterways and pipeline) categorised under Quality of Infrastructure, Volume and Capacity, Efficiency and Productivity, Rates and Costs, Transit Time and Delays, Intraregional Trade, Road Safety and Green Freight indicators. The tool helps to identify bottlenecks and challenges hindering the free and efficient movement of goods and provides evidence-based information for policy formulation. The various studies conducted by NCTTCA under Transport Observatory have provided improved planning and decision-making on multimodal transport and trade facilitation issues in the member States.
Recently, the NCTTCA launched a comprehensive five-year Strategic Plan 2022-2026 to serve as a guiding framework, outlining strategic interventions and key priorities to enhance efficiency, connectivity, and sustainability along the Northern Corridor. It lays a clear roadmap for NCTTCA and ensures that every step taken contributes meaningfully to the corridor’s transformation.
Understanding the importance of multimodal transport, NCTTCA has actively promoted railway transport through bilateral discussions on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) between Kenya and Uganda to connect the countries and boost trade efficiency. Moreover, the Authority has spearheaded meetings to promote cross-border transport infrastructure development, exploring alternative transit routes that alleviate congestion and enhance regional connectivity.
During the past year, the NCTTCA spearheaded bilateral meetings between South Sudan and Kenya to promote cross-border transport infrastructure development by upgrading Juba-Nadapal Road. NCTTCA also spearheaded the inspection and promotion of the development of the Lodwar-Lokiriama-Moroto road to promote bilateral trade between Uganda and Northern Kenya.
To enhance the experience of road users and facilitate seamless trade activities, NCTTCA is promoting the development of Road Side Stations (RSS) along the corridor. These strategically located rest stops provide essential amenities for drivers and passengers, ensuring smooth and safe journeys. Already, master planning for a private pilot facility at Kikopey, Kenya, has been completed. NCTTCA is also in partnership with Superior Homes Ltd, which is setting up an RSS facility at Sultan Hamud in Kenya. The construction of the facility has already started with Northern Corridor design standards. In the member States, the NCTTCA is supporting a feasibility study for an RSS in Bugarama, Burundi and two RSSs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one in South Kivu and the other in North Kivu.
With a keen eye on the region’s waterways potential, NCTTCA has undertaken studies on inland waterways development and harmonisation of the regulatory framework. Emphasising water transport systems and the development of small ports, the Authority seeks to unlock the potential of inland waterways as a cost-effective and efficient mode of transport. Safety is paramount, and NCTTCA has implemented transport safety interventions across lakes and rivers, prioritising the well-being of passengers and cargo. Consequently, the Authority has carried out sensitisation to implement transport safety interventions in Inland Waterways Transport in Lake Victoria (Uganda and Kenya), Lake Kivu (Rwanda and DRC), Lake Tanganyika (Burundi) and River Nile (South Sudan), distribution of life safety jackets, and promoting the use of multimodal transport of oil products and sensitising stakeholders on the potential of oil jetties on Lake Victoria, Kisumu oil jetty in Kenya and Mahathi oil jetty in Uganda, in reducing the cost of transport of oil in the region.
To ensure the safety of all those who traverse the corridor, NCTTCA conducted a multi-agency Road Safety Awareness Campaign along the Northern Corridor from Mombasa to Malaba in Kenya. This proactive campaign emphasised the importance of safe driving practices and included a free eyesight screening exercise to safeguard the well-being of drivers and passengers. The second phase of the campaign will be conducted in Uganda in the Financial Year 2023/2024.
In addition, the NCTTCA has supported the member States to ensure safe transport infrastructure. In this endeavour, the NCTTCAÂ has donated to the member States of Burundi, DRC, South Sudan and Uganda, Toyota double cabin 4×4 vehicles together with the Roughometer IV equipment, computers and walkie-talkies for enforcement units. It also trained engineers on installation of the Roughometer IV toolkit on the vehicle, calibration of the tool, data collection and interpretation, to allow collection of data on International Roughness Index (IRI).
Unlocking the corridor’s potential requires collaboration and resource mobilisation, and NCTTCA has actively expanded development partner support. During a high-level dissemination workshop of the findings from the Transport Needs Assessment Study Report for South Sudan, the NCTTCA brought together public and private sector stakeholders, donors, and development partners (World Bank, JICA, and AfDB) who discussed and agreed on appropriate ways to support implementation. The World Bank committed US$40 million to support the transport sector capacity building, review of Nadapal-Juba and Raad-Kapoeta road design studies, and other roads.
Recognising the pressing need for environmental sustainability, the NCTTCA launched the Green Freight Programme in 2014. This initiative aims to control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promote green growth along the corridor. By encouraging eco-friendly practices and infrastructure, the Authority contributes to global climate change mitigation efforts and creates an attractive and sustainable corridor for trade and investment. Through the programme, long-distance truck drivers in Kenya and Rwanda have been trained in eco-driving practices in the just-ended financial year.
Facilitating trade is essential, and NCTTCA has been at the forefront of efforts to streamline customs procedures. In June 2023, the NCTTCA organised a high-level workshop for EAC commissioners of customs that discussed and made recommendations on non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to the movement of goods along the Northern Corridor and linkage to the Central Corridor. Additionally, a study on the implementation of the Single Customs Territory in the East Africa region was conducted aimed at tackling non-tariff barriers and facilitating the free movement of goods across borders. Further, sensitisation and assessment of Joint Border Committees have been carried out to improve border efficiency.
NCTTCA has also launched the Northern Corridor Business Information Portal, a valuable resource for businesses in the region. This user-friendly platform facilitates information sharing, peer learning and promotes exports through expanded markets. The platform will foster collaboration and growth opportunities by providing businesses with access to market information, strengthening the region’s economic fabric.
Over the years, through recommendations and initiatives by the NCTTCA, the region has witnessed, among other things, the enhanced efficiency of the Port of Mombasa and expansion of the container terminals at the port; faster clearance of goods with the implementation of the Single Customs Territory (SCT) across the region; development of the Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya and Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, increasing the uptake of cargo into the region; installation of the High-Speed Weigh in Motion (HSWIM), improving the weighbridge crossing time; and establishment of One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) to facilitate easier crossborder movement of goods.
Furthermore, the region has seen the implementation of the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking (RECT) system and automation of business processes; improved quality of transport infrastructure; implementation of the Vehicle Load Control (VLC) Charter; establishment of Sustainable Green Freight Transport Programme to promote environmentally sustainable development; and the implementation of COMESA Trade Facilitation Instruments, among others.
The NCTTCA remains committed to transforming the corridor into an efficient, smart and green corridor through continued advocacy for full automation of systems and processes and interfacing systems; infrastructure developments and improvement; simplification of procedures and processes to reduce barriers to transport and trade; harmonisation of transport and trade-related policies and infrastructure to ensure a resilient and developmental corridor; and implementation of the green freight programme that seeks to make the Northern Corridor an environmentally safe development corridor.
