The AfCFTA

The report highlights how Africa's infrastructure deficit, particularly in roads and aviation, increases transport costs and hinders investment. It notes a significant funding gap and a failure to implement regional air transport agreements, while acknowledging the role of China's Belt and Road Initiative in recent infrastructure development.

• Africa's road infrastructure is significantly underdeveloped compared to global averages, with only 25% of its 204 km of roads per 1,000 km² being paved, whereas the world average is 944 km per 1,000 km² with over 50% paved.
• The African Development Bank identifies a substantial annual infrastructure funding gap between US$130 billion and US$170 billion, with a corresponding financing gap of US$68 billion to US$108 billion.
• Regional air travel liberalization has been hindered by a lack of commitment to agreements like the Yamoussoukro Decision and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), as countries prioritize state-owned carriers for national sovereignty over cost-efficiency.
• In some East African countries, transport costs are estimated to be approximately five times higher than those in North America and Europe.
• Recent infrastructure growth in Africa was largely driven by China exporting its spare infrastructure-building capacity through the Belt and Road Initiative during a period of domestic economic restructuring.

APA

Chipanda, B., & Cilliers, J. (2026). The AfCFTA. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=04-need-for-connecting-infrastructure

Chicago

Chipanda, Blessing, and Jakkie Cilliers. The AfCFTA. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=04-need-for-connecting-infrastructure.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chipanda |first1=Blessing |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=The AfCFTA |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 March 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=04-need-for-connecting-infrastructure |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chipanda2026afcfta, author = {Chipanda, Blessing and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{The AfCFTA}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=04-need-for-connecting-infrastructure}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }