Keeping Supply Chains in Place: “The Importance of Cooperation Between LLDCs and Their Transit Partners”

Abstract

African landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) have unique challenges in accessing the global marketplace to participate in the world trade, as transportation costs and access to maritime ports hinder the competitiveness of LLDC exports and make imports costlier, reducing the purchasing power of LLDC citizens. Against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic with countries moving to close borders to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, which has reached every African country, further strains are put on the 16 LLDCs, who rely heavily on transit countries to not only export, but to also receive crucial shipments of food, fuels, and pharmaceutical and medical supplies. This policy brief draws from the interventions and discussions of the webinar “Keeping Supply Chains in Place: The Importance of Cooperation Between LLDCs and Their Transit Partners”, held in 14 September, 2020.