Building Strategic Railway Corridors for Regional Integration, Economic Sovereignty, Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development in Eastern Africa

Abstract

Eastern Africa's expanding railway corridors present a strategic opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), strengthen regional integration, and advance sustainable economic transformation. However, their full potential remains constrained by financing gaps, fragmented infrastructure planning, geopolitical competition, weak regional governance, limited integration into peacebuilding, and growing exposure to transnational organized crime. These interconnected challenges reduce operational efficiency, increase strategic vulnerabilities, and limit the developmental impact of railway investments. This week’s series recommends prioritizing innovative and diversified railway financing, safeguarding infrastructure sovereignty, strengthening regional governance and interoperability, integrating railway development into peacebuilding and borderland development strategies, and institutionalizing security by design through transnational organized crime risk assessments across the railway lifecycle to maximize the region's long-term economic, security, and integration dividends.