Zambia on Thursday started preparatory work for hosting of the 2023 Land-Linked Conference which will bring together experts to discuss issues surrounding the transport and logistics sector on the African continent.
The conference will be held on March 23 under the theme of “Leveraging on the impacts of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)”.
Frank Tayali, the Minister of Transport and Logistics, said the theme was a call for African countries to take major steps to boost regional trade and economic integration by actualizing the gains of the free trading area.
He said there was an urgent need to improve transport connectivity in Africa through research that will come up with solutions to the transport and logistical challenges in Africa. “Transportation and logistics systems across Africa and beyond are evolving quickly. New technologies and new geo-political trends are driving changes faster than the region has witnessed in decades.”
According to him, the important technological and geo-political changes have direct relevance to land-linked countries that could benefit from the development of efficient and low-cost road, rail, water and air transport across Africa.
While acknowledging that most rural parts of Africa depend on roads for connectivity, the minister expressed concerns about the inadequate transport infrastructure as well as missing links and services.
The conference will be the second to be hosted by Zambia following the first one held in May this year. Enditem
