Africa: AfDB Moves to Structure Dry Ports and Accelerate Multimodal Transport Corridors

AfDB Puts Dry Ports at the Heart of African Corridor Performance

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is taking a new step toward improving the continent’s logistics infrastructure. Through a Call for Expressions of Interest published on September 7, 2026, the institution is seeking an experienced project coordinator to support the development of guidelines for dry ports and frameworks designed to unlock the potential of multimodal transport corridors in Africa.

The initiative goes beyond infrastructure development alone. It addresses Africa’s ability to reduce transit times, improve connections between seaports and inland markets, and strengthen the competitiveness of regional supply chains.

For African shippers, the issue is particularly strategic: a high-performing seaport cannot deliver its full economic benefits if rail, road, customs and inland logistics connections remain fragmented.

Dry Ports Are Becoming Strategic Assets for African Corridors

Dry ports, also known as inland container depots, can play a critical role in connecting maritime gateways with production and consumption centres further inland.

Across many African corridors, a significant share of cargo remains concentrated around seaports. This concentration can generate congestion, truck queues, additional delays and higher transportation costs.

Developing inland logistics platforms could help move part of the logistics operation closer to markets and industrial production zones.

Connecting Seaports With the Hinterland

The concept is straightforward: transfer part of the cargo-handling and logistics process from seaports to inland facilities connected by rail or road.

Dry ports can support:

• container transfer and storage;
• customs operations;
• cargo consolidation and deconsolidation;
• road-to-rail freight transfer;
• inland distribution and logistics services.

This model can reduce pressure on maritime terminals while improving the predictability of supply chains.

The Core Challenge: Reducing Transit Times and Logistics Costs

For shippers, corridor performance cannot be measured simply by the distance travelled.

The critical indicators are the time required to move cargo from origin to destination and the total logistics cost associated with that movement.

A corridor may have a modern port but remain uncompetitive if cargo subsequently faces delays at border crossings, poorly managed transfers or complex administrative procedures.

Dry ports can therefore become an essential component of strategies aimed at improving the continuity of freight movement.

The competitiveness of a corridor depends less on the performance of a single link than on the efficiency of the entire logistics chain.

AfDB Seeks to Harmonise African Approaches

One of the objectives of the AfDB initiative is to develop guidelines that establish a common understanding of dry ports and inland container depots.

This harmonisation is important in an African environment characterised by diverse regulatory frameworks.

Rules governing logistics operations, transit, customs procedures and platform management can differ significantly from one country to another.

For businesses, such fragmentation can generate additional costs and reduce the predictability of cross-border transport.

Building More Effective Regulatory Frameworks

The AfDB’s planned work will also examine regulatory frameworks that can support efficient dry-port operations.

The focus therefore extends beyond physical infrastructure.

A dry port without reliable rail connections, efficient customs procedures or effective coordination among public and private stakeholders may fail to generate the expected economic benefits.

Stakeholder Coordination Will Be Critical

The AfDB also intends to develop recommendations on stakeholder coordination mechanisms.

This dimension is essential.

A transport corridor typically brings together:

• port authorities;
• customs administrations;
• infrastructure managers;
• railway operators;
• road freight companies;
• terminal operators;
• freight forwarders;
• shippers;
• development finance institutions.

Poor coordination can turn an otherwise efficient infrastructure asset into a logistics bottleneck.

Effective governance, by contrast, can help synchronise physical cargo flows, data exchange and administrative procedures.

Implications for Africa’s Major Transport Corridors

The initiative could have significant implications for several major transport corridors across the continent.

In East Africa, connections between the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam and inland markets depend heavily on the performance of road and railway infrastructure.

In Southern Africa, corridors linking mining regions in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo with regional ports demonstrate the growing importance of multimodal supply chains.

In West Africa, corridors connecting Gulf of Guinea ports with landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger remain highly dependent on road freight, border crossings and transit procedures.

Across all these regions, dry ports can become strategic interfaces between maritime networks and inland economies.

AfCFTA: Logistics Infrastructure Is Becoming a Competitiveness Factor

The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) further strengthens the strategic relevance of this initiative.

The potential expansion of intra-African trade requires infrastructure capable of handling larger cargo volumes while keeping transportation costs and delays under control.

Removing tariff barriers alone will not make African trade competitive.

If businesses continue to face high logistics costs, unpredictable transit times or multiple inefficient cargo transfers, the potential of intra-African trade will remain constrained.

Dry ports and multimodal corridors can therefore help translate AfCFTA’s trade ambitions into more efficient physical cargo flows.

A New Investment Opportunity in African Logistics Infrastructure

The AfDB’s initiative is also relevant to investors and development finance institutions.

The institution specifically seeks to draw on relevant experience and scenarios to strengthen the assessment and financing of dry ports and inland transport logistics infrastructure.

This could support better identification of projects with genuine economic and commercial potential.

Key investment criteria are likely to include:

• sufficient freight volumes;
• reliable rail or road connectivity;
• efficient customs procedures;
• transparent governance;
• a sustainable business model;
• long-term development potential.

 Why This Matters for African Corridors

A well-designed dry port can shift part of the logistics burden away from seaports, bring customs and logistics services closer to inland markets and facilitate rail freight. At corridor level, this can help reduce transit times, improve delivery predictability and strengthen the competitiveness of regional trade.

The Real Challenge Will Be Implementation

The AfDB initiative represents an important step, but its ultimate impact will depend on the ability of governments and operators to translate recommendations into operational projects.

Dry ports should not be developed as isolated infrastructure projects. They need to be integrated into strategies connecting seaports, railways, roads, border posts, customs systems, logistics platforms and digital infrastructure.

For shippers, the decisive factor will remain reliability: knowing how much transportation will cost, how long it will take and how predictable that delivery time will be.

That predictability will determine whether African corridors can become genuine instruments of industrial and commercial competitiveness.

Moving From Infrastructure to Corridor Performance

The AfDB initiative places dry ports and multimodal transport corridors within a broader strategy for transforming Africa’s logistics networks.

The challenge is no longer simply to build more infrastructure. It is to connect existing assets more efficiently, harmonise regulations, streamline procedures and organise freight flows around the real needs of shippers.

As AfCFTA seeks to increase intra-African trade, the continent’s ability to develop corridors that are faster, more predictable and more cost-efficient will become a decisive factor in its economic competitiveness.

For AfriCorridors, the strategic question is clear: Africa must not only invest in infrastructure. It must invest in corridor performance.