New geography of global trade: the Oceans Bridge - Africa

This perspective is particularly relevant to East Africa. Tanzania's geographic position offers exceptional advantages. With direct access to the Indian Ocean and transport links extending toward Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country is uniquely positioned to become a bridge between African resources and Asian markets.

The TAZARA railway illustrates this strategic potential. Constructed during the 1970s with Chinese support, the railway was originally intended to provide Zambia with an alternative route to the sea independent of apartheid-controlled Southern Africa. Today, the same railway can serve a new purpose: connecting the mineral-rich heartlands of Central and Southern Africa to one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the world.

This connection is becoming increasingly important as Asian demand for critical minerals continues to expand. The global transition toward renewable energy technologies, electric mobility, and advanced manufacturing requires vast quantities of copper, cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite, and rare earth elements. Many of these resources are found in Africa. Efficient transport corridors can therefore determine not only how quickly these resources reach global markets but also whether Africa captures a larger share of the value chain through local processing and industrialization.

As the Institute has argued in its broader studies of global connectivity, canals, roads, railways, and corridors are more than engineering projects. They are mechanisms through which nations "connect and overcome natural limits, changing history." This observation resonates strongly with the emerging Indian Ocean corridor, where infrastructure is beginning to alter the economic geography of an entire region.

The Indian Ocean itself is rapidly becoming one of the world's most important strategic spaces. It connects the energy-producing Gulf region with the manufacturing centers of Asia and the growing consumer markets of Africa. A substantial share of global maritime trade passes through these waters. Consequently, ports, logistics centers, and transportation corridors along the Indian Ocean littoral are assuming unprecedented geopolitical significance.

For East Africa, this presents both opportunity and responsibility.

Investment in infrastructure can generate employment, attract foreign capital, stimulate industrial development, and improve regional competitiveness. Yet infrastructure alone is insufficient. Successful corridors require efficient customs systems, transparent regulations, reliable energy supplies, digital connectivity, and strong institutions. Without these complementary reforms, even the most impressive physical infrastructure may fail to deliver its anticipated benefits.

Environmental sustainability must also remain central to corridor development. Coastal ecosystems, fisheries, and local communities are integral components of East Africa's long-term prosperity. Infrastructure planning should therefore balance economic ambitions with environmental stewardship and social inclusion.

Equally important is regional cooperation. Corridors do not end at national borders. Their effectiveness depends on harmonized regulations, coordinated investments, and shared strategic objectives among neighboring countries. The benefits of connectivity increase exponentially when states work together rather than in isolation.

The experience of other regions provides valuable lessons. In its analyses of the Middle Corridor across Eurasia and the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Institute's authors have emphasized that modern economic competition increasingly revolves around connectivity. Nations that can provide reliable, diversified, and efficient routes gain strategic leverage, attract investment, and strengthen their resilience against external shocks. The same principle applies to Africa. The continent's future competitiveness will depend not only on the resources it possesses, but also on the infrastructure that enables those resources, products, and services to reach global markets efficiently.

Prof. Bajrektarevic's broader writings on Africa repeatedly emphasize that the continent should no longer be viewed solely through the lens of dependency or underdevelopment. Instead, Africa must be understood as an increasingly influential actor within the emerging multipolar order. Its demographic growth, resource endowment, geographic location, and expanding consumer markets position it to become a central participant in global economic networks rather than a passive observer of them.

The Bagamoyo project, together with Dar es Salaam, TAZARA, and related infrastructure initiatives, reflects precisely this shift. These developments are not merely about increasing cargo volumes. They are about redefining Africa's place in the world economy.