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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Brussels, 24.6.2009
COM(2009) 301 final
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT AND TO THE COUNCIL
Partnership between the European Union and Africa
Connecting Africa and Europe: working towards strengthening transport cooperation
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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT AND TO THE COUNCIL
Partnership between the European Union and Africa
Connecting Africa and Europe: working towards strengthening transport cooperation
1.
INTRODUCTION
As the main vehicles for socio-economic integration, transport infrastructures and services are
essential to ensuring trade and the movement of goods and people. Transport is the main way
of providing physical access to employment, health care and education and therefore provides
the cornerstone for development and is essential to the well-being of rural and urban
populations.
The level of road density in Africa continues to be low (6.84 km per 100 km2, as opposed to
12 km in Latin America and 18 km in Asia), with a poorly maintained network. The level of
interconnection within the rail network in Africa is very low, especially in the western and
central parts of the continent and over 15 or so African countries do not have railways1. Only
three airports in Africa can be classed as one of the world’s first 150 airports in terms of
passengers. Maritime transport accounts for between 92 % and 97 % of international trade in
Africa, supported by nearly 80 major ports, which nevertheless suffer from equipment and
safety problems. The African fleet is very old; nearly 80 % of ships are over 15 years old, as
opposed to the world average of 15 %.
Transport costs in Africa are some of the highest in the world, representing on average 15 %
of export earnings, as opposed to 7 % in developing countries on other continents and 4 % in
industrialised nations. The situation is even worse in landlocked African countries such as
Malawi and Chad