Development of the Maputo Corridor relies heavily on cross-border cooperation to
develop and where necessary rehabilitate the necessary hard infrastructure. The main
concern is with road connections between the main cities linked by the corridor.
Because it involves both a core route between the main economic hub of Johannesburg
in South Africa and the port of Maputo in Mozambique, and a series of feeder roads to
smaller cities, the MCLI is not just about improving cross-border cooperation in the
logistics sector (Challenge 4). It also plays a significant part in developing domestic
logistics by improving internal connectivity (Challenge 8).
One notable feature of the MCLI from which the Asia-Pacific could potentially draw
inspiration is its private sector focus. Initiatives such as the ASEAN Economic
Community Blueprint focus on reducing public sector barriers to the international
integration of logistics markets, on the assumption that private operators will then take
advantage of the newly created commercial opportunities to increase trade and
investment. The MCLI itself is, however, a private organization. Its focus is twofold.
The first aspect relates to channeling the views of private sector actors to the
governments involved, so that government action can fully integrate the emergence of
new business models and evolving trade patterns. Second, the MCLI facilitates
information exchange within the private sector, ensuring that improvements are
brought to the attention of private sector users (and potential users) of the corridor.
As seen in the context of Challenge 1, private sector perceptions matter, both for the
concrete reality of supply chain performance and for the issue of measurement using
tools like the World Bank’s LPI.