Directory · 20 entries

East African trade corridors

East Africa's inland trade runs on four main corridors. The Northern Corridor links the Great Lakes Region to the port of Mombasa ¹. The Central Corridor links its members to the sea through Dar es Salaam ⁴. TAZARA links the southern African network to Dar es Salaam ⁹. LAPSSET lists a railway and a crude oil pipeline among its projects ¹¹. Lengths and volumes are shown only where an official body gives them.

Last checked 24 October 2026

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Northern Corridor ¹
Route or node
Port of Mombasa to the Great Lakes Region by road, rail, maritime, inland waterway and pipeline ¹
Ports and border posts
Port of Mombasa ¹
Managing body
Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority, Mombasa ¹
Length or volume (official)
2,114,480 TEUs of container traffic at Mombasa in 2025 ¹
Northern Corridor ²
Route or node
Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Agreement, signed 19 February 1985, revised 6 October 2007, 11 protocols ²
Managing body
Member states Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda ²
Northern Corridor ³
Route or node
Road network ³
Managing body
NCTTCA ³
Length or volume (official)
12,707 km ³
Northern Corridor ³
Route or node
Pipeline system serving the hinterland states ³
Managing body
NCTTCA ³
Length or volume (official)
1,792 km ³
Northern Corridor ³
Route or node
Metre gauge and standard gauge railways in Kenya and Uganda, with dry ports ³
Ports and border posts
Dry ports such as Nairobi, Naivasha and Kisumu, per the infrastructure page ³
Managing body
NCTTCA ³
Northern Corridor ³
Route or node
Inland waterways ³
Ports and border posts
Lake ports and oil jetties on Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Kivu ³
Managing body
NCTTCA ³
Northern Corridor ²
Route or node
Kenya to Uganda border ^2,6
Ports and border posts
Busia and Busia, Malaba and Malaba, OSBP pairs in the EAC Act Schedule ⁶
Managing body
Kenya and Uganda border agencies ⁶
Northern Corridor ²
Route or node
Uganda to Rwanda border ^2,6
Ports and border posts
Katuna and Gatuna, Mirama Hills and Kagitumba, OSBP pairs in the EAC Act Schedule ⁶
Managing body
Uganda and Rwanda border agencies ⁶
Northern Corridor ²
Route or node
Uganda to South Sudan border ^2,7
Ports and border posts
Elegu and Nimule. Nimule OSBP completed in 2020, per TradeMark Africa ⁷
Managing body
TradeMark Africa with the Ministry of Transport, per TradeMark Africa ⁷
Length or volume (official)
Over 80% of goods entering South Sudan, per TradeMark Africa ⁷
Central Corridor ⁴
Route or node
Multimodal transport and logistics network to the port of Dar es Salaam ⁴
Ports and border posts
Port of Dar es Salaam ⁴
Managing body
Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency, Dar es Salaam ⁵
Central Corridor ⁴
Route or node
Agreement signed 2 September 2006, amended 1 December 2023 to admit Malawi and Zambia ⁴
Managing body
Member states Burundi, DRC, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia ⁴
Central Corridor ⁵
Route or node
Kalundu Port to Uvira, Kamanyola and Bukavu road project ⁵
Ports and border posts
Kalundu Port ⁵
Managing body
Listed by CCTTFA ⁵
Length or volume (official)
50 km ⁵
Central Corridor ⁵
Route or node
Dar es Salaam to Isaka and Kigali railway project. Uvinza to Musongati, Gitega and DRC railway project ⁵
Managing body
Listed by CCTTFA ⁵
Central Corridor ⁸
Route or node
Tanzania to Rwanda border ⁸
Ports and border posts
Rusumo and Rusumo OSBP, juxtaposed model ⁸. Opened 1 March 2016, per Japan ¹⁰
Managing body
TRA and Rwandan border agencies ⁸
Central Corridor ⁸
Route or node
Tanzania to Burundi and Uganda borders ⁸
Ports and border posts
Kabanga and Kobero OSBP. Mutukula and Mutukula OSBP ⁸
Managing body
TRA and neighbouring border agencies ⁸
Central Corridor ¹²
Route or node
Electronic Cargo Tracking System control room at TRA House, Dar es Salaam, reported by CCTTFA in March 2023 ¹²
Managing body
Tanzania Revenue Authority ¹²
Dar es Salaam to Lusaka ⁹
Route or node
TAZARA bi-national railway linking the southern African network to Dar es Salaam ⁹
Ports and border posts
Port of Dar es Salaam ⁹
Managing body
Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority ⁹
Dar es Salaam to Lusaka ⁸
Route or node
Tanzania to Zambia border ⁸
Ports and border posts
Tunduma and Nakonde OSBP, juxtaposed model ⁸
Managing body
TRA and Zambian border agencies ⁸
Dar es Salaam to Lusaka ¹³
Route or node
Tanzania Ports Authority offices abroad ¹³
Ports and border posts
Lusaka, Lubumbashi, Kolwezi, Bujumbura, Kampala, Kigali, Harare, Lilongwe ¹³
Managing body
Tanzania Ports Authority ¹³
LAPSSET ¹¹
Route or node
LAPSSET standard gauge railway and crude oil pipeline, listed as PIDA PAP 2 projects for 2021 to 2030 ¹¹
Ports and border posts
Regional offices in Lamu, Garissa, Isiolo and Turkana, head office Nairobi ¹¹
Managing body
Not named on the page read ¹¹

Notes

Lengths and volumes appear only where the managing body states them. The NCTTCA page showed no tonnage figures when read ¹.
The Kenya to Uganda and Uganda to Rwanda border posts are shown under the Northern Corridor. All three states are corridor members ² and the pairs are in the EAC One Stop Border Posts Act Schedule ⁶.
NCTTCA pages differ on dry ports. The infrastructure page names Nairobi, Naivasha and Kisumu ³. The inland container depot page lists Kenya Ports Authority depots at Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret ¹⁴.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].

Northern Corridor 1

Northern Corridor 2

Northern Corridor 3

Northern Corridor 3

Northern Corridor 3

Northern Corridor 3

Northern Corridor 2

Northern Corridor 2

Northern Corridor 2

Central Corridor 4

Central Corridor 4

Central Corridor 5

Central Corridor 5

Central Corridor 8

Central Corridor 8

Central Corridor 12

Dar es Salaam to Lusaka 9

Dar es Salaam to Lusaka 8

Dar es Salaam to Lusaka 13

LAPSSET 11

Notes

Sources

Northern Corridor ¹

Northern Corridor ²

Northern Corridor ³

Northern Corridor ³

Northern Corridor ³

Northern Corridor ³

Northern Corridor ²

Northern Corridor ²

Northern Corridor ²

Central Corridor ⁴

Central Corridor ⁴

Central Corridor ⁵

Central Corridor ⁵

Central Corridor ⁸

Central Corridor ⁸

Central Corridor ¹²

Dar es Salaam to Lusaka ⁹

Dar es Salaam to Lusaka ⁸

Dar es Salaam to Lusaka ¹³

LAPSSET ¹¹