I. INTRODUCTION

The problems of land-locked countries are clearly recognized in the UNTACDA II Programme as illustrated in the global objective of the programme the item:

OBJECTIVE I: Implementation of phased and balanced programme of development and management of transport and communications infrastructure, taking particularly into account the needs and requirements of island and land-locked countries.

The UNTACDA II is a co-operation programme designed to co-ordinate activities for the development of transport and communications in Africa at national, subregional, regional and international levels. Accordingly, the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme is being carried out at each of the above levels. The fifteen land-locked countries in Africa namely: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are participating in the implementation of the programme with ECA as the lead agency.

ECA activities in support of the landlocked countries under UNTACDA II has concentrated on : (i) promotion of the projects submitted by the countries, (ii) conducting of studies on facilitation; and (iii) improvement of transport and communications information systems; (iv) improvement of safety, security and navigation of instant waterway; and (v) development of air transport policy. A brief description of ECA involvement in these activities is given below.

All land-locked countries have submitted to ECA their various projects in transport and communications for implementation under UNTACDA II programme (see annex II to this report). Their UNTACDA II projects cover all modes of transport and communications and are mostly national although a few of them are national projects with subregional impact and are, therefore, linked with the transport systems of their neighbouring transit/land-locked countries. Since the inception of the second decade programme ECA, among other things, is responsible for co-operation with other agencies, for the harmonization, co-ordination and monitoring of the implementation of all UNTACDA II projects submitted by all African countries including the land-locked ones. ECA also provides the secretariat services for the organs charged with responsibility for monitoring and evaluating the progress of implementation of the projects for land-locked countries ie the Inter Agency Coordinating Agency (IACC) for the programme, the Advisory Committee of (UNTACDA II ) Programme Promotion (ACPP) and the Conference of African Ministers of Transport and Communications.

The evaluation of the implementation of the programme carried out by ECA in 1995 recommended that for the successful continuation with implementation of UNTACDA II up to the year 2000, all African countries including land-locked ones should actively follow-up the implementation of their projects within the framework of resolution ECA/UNTACDA/Res.95/92 of 21 March, 1995 passed by the Conference of African Ministers of Transport and Communications at its tenth meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 20 to 21 March, 1995.

A study on assessment of implementation of international transit facilitation agreements along selected corridors was also undertaken by ECA in 1996 within the framework of the first objective of UNTACDA II. The immediate objective of the study was to assess the extent to which transit and land-locked countries have benefited from the various multinational and bilateral agreements which they have jointly negotiated and signed for the improvement of transit transport along their transit corridors since the inception of UNTACDA I in 1978. The study was undertaken to find out areas where land-locked and transit countries should collaborate to facilitate successful implementation of their existing transit agreements.

The corridors covered by the study were as follows:

Recommendations and conclusions of the study regarding the influence of transit agreements on transit transport vary slightly from corridor to corridor. However, it has became clear that countries with formally signed a transit transport agreements have less transit problems than those which do not have them. The study also concluded that the success of transit agreements whether signed by participating countries or not depend on the political goodwill of member countries. Looking at transit transport from the point of view of subregional and regional integration the study has concluded that most land-locked countries are small, therefore, there is need to view facilitation from a wider perspective which would encompass the coordination of microeconomic policies and institutional developments that promote trade and development , including those related to regional projects in such areas as exploitation of natural resources, supply of infrastructural facilities and establishment of joint ventures with the participation of the private sector where possible. Countries of the Southern Africa Development Community have taken this approach and are carrying out a Transport and Communications Integration Study for Southern Africa. Opportunities exist for countries with signed transit transport agreements to do the same.

The problem of data deficiencies in Africa are clearly recognised in the UNTACDA II Document and the long-term global thrusts of the programme include:

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OBJECTIVE 5:Establishment of information systems on transport and communications as a basis for analysis and better planning and management of investment

ECA has been implementing a transport data base programme jointly with the world bank covering selected Sub-Saharan African countries. Land-locked countries and their transit transport problems are given special attention due to the fact that the countries require information on tariffs for their imports and exports over alternative routes and ports. The smooth movement of their goods through the transportation networks of their neighbours can also be achieved only if they are aware of the availability and condition of infrastructure and equipment along alternative transport corridors available to them. Out of the seven pilot countries for the programme four of them namely: Burkina Faso,Burundi, Lesotho, Mali and Uganda are land-locked countries.

All land-locked countries participating in the project have managed to harmonize their transport data collection methodologies which they have also tested for dissemination nationally and at subregional levels.

ECA has assisted land-locked Central African countries in the improvement of operations of inland and waterways infrastructure and equipment. Examples of these are:

ECA has developed for African countries a policy on gradual liberalization of traffic right in the field of aviation. This policy is included in the Yamoussoukro Declaration whose main objective is to strengthen cooperation, coordination and integration of air services in Africa and to ensure the gradual liberalization of traffic right in order to facilitate the free movement of goods and persons. This policy will benefit the land-locked countries more than the other countries because of the advantage of rapidity and suitable means for the transportation of perishable goods.

ECA is assisting land-locked countries, to include the Yamoussoukro Declaration in their national policy.

A number of land-locked countries in Africa especially those in Central Africa may require a special attention regarding the improvement of their transit systems. This is because some of them have recently undergone political crisis followed by civil wars which have had direct impact on their transport and communications systems. There is a need to carry out special studies to determine the effects of civil wars on their transport and communications infrastructure and equipment including human resources. Studies on their transit transport links would facilitate the preparation of rehabilitation programmes at national and corridor levels. Other future action necessary for the development of transit transport for African land-locked countries are:

ECA is ready to continue assisting land-locked countries in solving their transit transport problems if resources permit, and if the countries make specific requests to ECA either individually or in a group.

 ANNEX AFRICAN LAND-LOCKED COUNTRIES PROJECTS INCLUDED IN UNTACDA II PROGRAMME (Annex photocopied - please get from Mr. P. Were)