World
CNN Explores Africa’s Transport Infrastructure
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Africa is a continent with a huge infrastructure deficit, making the cost of commodities to go high by 60 per cent because of transportation and logistics expenses.
But some African leaders are taking steps to address this issue so as to make life better for their citizens. One of the countries looking for ways to tackle the problem is Kenya.
In 2017, the country launched the Standard Gauge Railway (S-G-R) to help with the movement of tons of cargo along a vital transportation corridor connecting Naivasha and Nairobi with the Port of Mombasa.
In the latest episode of Connecting Africa, CNN International’s Eleni Giokos was in the East African nation to see how this initiative is benefitting the import and export industry.
In a chat, the Senior Director of Transport at TradeMark East Africa, Abhishek Sharma, informed CNN that, “Our whole transport system has been realigned.
“For the longest time, very little cargo was moving by rail, up to 95 per cent of the cargo was moving by road.
“Suddenly, there has been a massive shift where for containerised cargo from Mombasa to Nairobi 60 per cent of the imports are moving by rail. So, it’s a whole different way in which things are being done.”
Continuing, Sharma said, “Any intervention which reduces the cost of logistics in our region, makes a big difference to what the people in our region can achieve in terms of their health outcomes and educational outcomes, as well as, you know, to be able to save a bit more.”
In the future, the S-G-R project is planned to connect Mombasa to Malaba on the border with Uganda and continue onward to Kampala. It will also run to Kigali in Rwanda, with a branch line to Juba in South Sudan.
According to Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Mr James Macharia, this project will enable neighbouring countries to “be able to move the cargo from Mombasa all the way to the border, a distance of about 1300 kilometres in a span of about 18 hours. And this is what will bring efficiency and bring competitive advantage to the entire region.”
Next, Giokos had a chat with the co-founder of UgaBus, an online ticketing app enabling travellers within East Africa buy bus tickets. Ronald Hakiza talks about why he launched UgaBus in 2015, “I’ve been to 207 towns in East Africa. I looked at how we struggled to buy tickets in those different towns, and I said to myself, ‘Really? In this era, something should change.’”
The app allows customers to search, compare and book a bus ticket in under three minutes. Christine Kabazira, a UgaBus subscriber, tells the programme why she uses the service, “The hassle that comes with booking buses, going to the bus and the crowds, especially now in the COVID times, the fact that you don’t have to touch money. It confirms that you have paid via SMS and it confirms that you have booked a certain seat. So, all you need to do is just go to the bus station and show them the SMS.”
Currently, passengers can book over 200 routes on the UgaBus app across five countries in East Africa: Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, with Zambia being targeted next. Hakiza speaks about the company’s future, “We’re building a bus ecosystem, something that brings together the entire bus online digitally that when you look at the bus, right from luggage, to passenger travel, to ticketing, to experiences, to everything should come online.”
The episode also profiled WhereIsMyTransport, a start-up mapping African cities to provide mobility data and solutions for emerging-market cities, and features GoMetro, a mobile transit information app offering updates to improve the urban commuting experience in South Africa.
Finally, Giokos goes behind the scenes of Sierra Leone’s ferry service Sea Coach Express to find out how they are expanding their routes to neighbouring Guinea.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Africa stands at the cusp of a transformative digital revolution. With the expansion of mobile connectivity, internet penetration, digital platforms, and financial technology, the continent’s digital economy is poised to become a significant driver of sustainable development, intra-Africa trade, job creation, and economic inclusion.
The African Union’s Agenda 2063, particularly Aspiration 1 (a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development), highlights the importance of leveraging technology and innovation. The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has opened a new chapter in market integration, creating opportunities to unlock the full potential of the digital economy across all sectors.
Despite remarkable progress, challenges persist. These include limited digital infrastructure, disparities in digital literacy, fragmented regulatory frameworks, inadequate access to financing for tech-based enterprises, and gender gaps in digital participation. Moreover, Africa must assert its digital sovereignty, build local data ecosystems, and secure cyber-infrastructure to thrive in a rapidly changing global digital landscape.
Against this backdrop, the 16th African Union Private Sector Forum provides a timely platform to explore and shape actionable strategies for harnessing Africa’s digital economy to accelerate intra-Africa trade and sustainable development.
The 16th High-Level AU Private Sector forum is set to take place in Djibouti, from the 14 to 16 December 2025, under the theme “Harnessing Africa’s Digital Economy and Innovation for Accelerating Intra-Africa Trade and Sustainable Development”
The three-day Forum will feature high-level plenaries, expert panels, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities. Each day will spotlight a core pillar of Africa’s digital transformation journey.
Day 1: Digital Economy and Trade Integration in Africa
Focus: Leveraging digital platforms and technologies to enhance trade integration and competitiveness under AfCFTA.
Day 2: Innovation, Fintech, and the Future of African Economies
Focus: Driving economic inclusion through fintech, innovation ecosystems, and youth entrepreneurship.
Day 3: Building Policy, Regulatory Frameworks, and Partnerships for Digital Growth
Focus: Creating an enabling environment for digital innovation and infrastructure through effective policy, governance, and partnerships.
To foster strategic dialogue and action-oriented collaboration among key stakeholders in Africa’s digital ecosystem, with the goal of leveraging digital economy and innovation to boost intra-Africa trade, accelerate economic transformation, and support inclusive, sustainable development.
* Promote Digital Trade: Identify mechanisms and policy actions to enable seamless cross-border digital commerce and integration under AfCFTA.
* Foster Innovation and Fintech: Advance inclusive fintech ecosystems and support innovation-driven entrepreneurship, especially among youth and women.
* Policy and Regulatory Harmonization: Build consensus on regional and continental digital regulatory frameworks to foster trust, security, and interoperability.
* Encourage Investment and Public-Private Partnerships: Strengthen collaboration between governments, private sector, and development partners to invest in digital infrastructure, R&D, and skills development.
* Advance Digital Inclusion and Sustainability: Ensure that digital transformation contributes to environmental sustainability and the empowerment of marginalized communities.
The AU Private Sector Forum has held several forums, with key recommendations. These recommendations provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the African private sector and offer guidance for policymakers on how to support its growth and development.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Lukoil, Russia’s energy giant, has seriously lost its grounds across Africa, due to United States sanctions. Sanctions have complicated the company’s potential continuity in operating its largest oil field projects, grappling its investment particularly in Republic of Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Reports indicated the sanctions are further dismantling most of Lukoil’s operations, causing significant staff layoffs in its offices worldwide. For instance, Lukoil’s significant upstream operations in the Middle East include a 75% stake in Iraq’s West Qurna 2 oilfield and a 60% stake in Iraq’s Block 10 development. In Egypt, the company holds stakes in various oilfields alongside local partners.
Lukoil has until December 13, 2025, to negotiate the sale of most of its international assets, including those in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It has already terminated several important agreements that were signed with international partners due to difficulties in circumventing the sanctions.
Reports said calculated efforts to diversify exploration business relations is turning extremely complex, and current at the cross-roads, Lukoil will have to ultimately give up existing contracts and agreements it had signed with external countries.
Lukoil’s website reports also pointed to reasons for abandoning oil and gas exploration and drilling project that it began in Sierra Leone. According to those reports, Lukoil could withdraw from almost all of the projects in West Africa.
In addition to geopolitical sanctions, technical and geographical hitches, Lukoil noted on its website, an additional obstacles that “the African leadership and government policies always pose serious problems to operations in the region.” Similarly, the Kremlin-controlled Rosneft abandoned its interest in the southern Africa oil pipeline construction, negatively impacted on Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
United States sanctions has hit Lukoil, one of the Russia’s biggest oil companies, like many other Russian companies, that has had a long history shuttling forth and back with declaration of business intentions or mere interests in tapping into oil and gas resources in Africa.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
In New Delhi, President Vladimir Putin, alongside Editor-in-Chief of Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, took part in the launch ceremony of the RT India TV channel. The TV channel will operate from a new studio complex in New Delhi, marking a new dimension in the bilateral media sphere.
Editor-in-Chief of Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, indicated that the collaboration, naturally, points to India’s hospitality, affirming that this endeavour was not only worthwhile but long overdue.
Vladimir Putin, officially, launching the TV studio, also emphasized that the Russia Today channel in India, RT India, grants millions of Indian citizens clearer, more direct access into insights about contemporary Russia – the realities, aspirations, and perspectives. He reiterated the existing traditional friendship, and the ties between the Indian and Russian peoples go much deeper into the past; which rests on a solid historical foundation. And at the core of relationship lies mutual interest.
Russia Today is a source of truthful and reliable information, focused on serving the interests of its viewers and listeners. Its main mission is merely to promote Russia, its culture, and its positions on domestic and international issues. Above all, Russia Today strives to convey truthful information about the country and about what is happening in the world. This is the absolute value of Russia Today.
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