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Transport
business in order to attract both domestic and in-
ternational investors. Realizing that transport costs
constitutes a large part of the final costs of goods
and services, Zambia sees improving cross-border
infrastructure as a measure to reduce the expense
of surface transport.
One of the most critical transport corridors in south-
ern Africa, the North-South Corridor, together with
its adjacent spurs, services the following eight coun-
tries: Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe,
Mozambique and South Africa. The importance of
the North-South Corridor to Zambia is immense, as
it links the mining centers of the Copperbelt to the
southern ports of South Africa, and it also connects
with the Trans-Kalahari, Beira, Lobito, Dar-es-Sa-
laam and Nacala corridors.
The Chirundu One-Stop-Border Post (OSBP) be-
tween Zimbabwe and Zambia is a trade facilitating
pilot project that has sought to enhance the border
post operations by jointly streamlining procedures
and practices, eliminating unnecessary duplication
or repetition of activities, and producing enabling
legislation.
The Dar-es-Salaam Corridor links the port of Dar-es-
Salaam with the Copperbelt, and the Mtwara Corri-
dor links the northern regions of Zambia and Malawi
with the southern regions of Tanzania. Mtwara is a
OVERVIEW
As Zambia is a landlocked country, an efficient trans-
portation system is critical for national and regional
development. In addition to facilitating the influx of
business people and tourists, the development of
an efficient transport infrastructure is pivotal to both
regional and international trade. Zambia is a bulk
mineral exporter, and road and rail transport are es-
sential to the survival of this business. Inland water
transport is also utilized, especially in areas where
there is not easy access to roads.
Mpulungu Harbor on Lake Tanganyika is Zambia’s
only international port. It facilitates the shipment of
cement, sugar, pharmaceuticals, steel, and many
other products to the great lakes region of Burundi,
Rwanda, and the eastern part of the Democratic Re-
public of Congo.
The first national Transport Policy was approved in
2002 to guide the development of the transporta-
tion sector. The policy precipitated a number of in-
stitutional, regulatory, and legislative reforms, and
it placed a heavy focus on road transportation. Be-
cause of this focus, road transport remains the domi-
nant mode of transport.
Reg
ional
transport corridors
The Zambian government is working with cooperat-
ing partners and regional governments to improve
and expand regional transportation networks. The
country is in a hurry to reduce the cost of doing
Credit: Luis López
Zambia’s railway network is essential to the
survival of the mining industry
