New geography of global trade: the Oceans Bridge - Africa

This role is particularly relevant at a time when Africa is increasingly attracting international attention as a destination for infrastructure investment. The challenge is no longer simply attracting capital, but ensuring that projects are economically viable, environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive, and integrated into broader national and regional development strategies. Forums, research institutions, and knowledge platforms can therefore play a crucial supporting role in translating ambition into implementation.

As Prof. Anis observed in his reflections on Africa and Europe, "Our history warns. Nevertheless, it also provides a hope." That hope is increasingly visible along the shores of the Indian Ocean. From Bagamoyo to Dar es Salaam, from TAZARA to the broader East African transport network, a new connectivity geography is taking shape.

If managed wisely, these corridors will do more than move goods. They will connect markets, stimulate industries, create opportunities, and strengthen Africa's position within the evolving architecture of global trade. In doing so, they may help transform the Indian Ocean into one of the defining economic theatres of the twenty-first century-and East Africa into one of its principal gateways.

The story of Africa's alternative corridors is therefore not merely about ports, railways, and logistics. It is about agency, integration, and strategic vision. It is about a continent increasingly shaping its own future rather than adapting to decisions made elsewhere. And it is about recognizing that connectivity, when supported by sound governance and regional cooperation, can become one of the most powerful instruments of economic transformation available to any nation or region.

As global trade routes continue to evolve, East Africa's Indian Ocean corridor may well emerge as one of the defining connectivity projects of the coming decades. If that occurs, Bagamoyo, Dar es Salaam, and TAZARA will be remembered not simply as infrastructure assets, but as milestones in Africa's emergence as a central actor in the new geography of global commerce.

The twenty-first century is witnessing a profound reconfiguration of global trade routes. From the Arctic passages of the north to the Middle Corridor across Eurasia and the North-South Corridor connecting Russia, Central Asia, the Gulf, and India, nations are increasingly investing in alternative corridors that can reduce dependency, diversify supply chains, and strengthen economic resilience. Africa, long perceived as peripheral to these developments, is now emerging as one of the most consequential arenas in this global transformation.

At the center of this emerging story stands East Africa and, in particular, Tanzania's ambition to become a strategic Afro-Asian gateway through the Indian Ocean.

The proposed Bagamoyo Port, located north of Dar es Salaam, represents one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects on the African continent. Conceived as a deep-water maritime hub supported by China and the Sultanate of Oman, Bagamoyo is designed to complement the Port of Dar es Salaam while significantly expanding Tanzania's capacity to serve international trade. Combined with the modernization of transport infrastructure and the revitalization of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), the project has the potential to transform East Africa's role in global commerce.

The significance of such developments extends far beyond Tanzania. Across the world, alternative corridors are increasingly viewed as instruments of geopolitical influence and economic security. As the International Institute IFIMES observed in its periodic analyses of Eurasian connectivity, "roads are the arteries of economic progress" – and often published by this very magazine. The institute further noted that emerging transport corridors are "not merely an economic prospect – they are transformative forces capable of changing powers and roles in the international system."

Africa today finds itself at a similar historical juncture.

For decades, much of the continent's transport infrastructure reflected colonial-era priorities, linking mines and agricultural zones to coastal export terminals. While these networks facilitated extraction, they did little to encourage regional integration or industrial development. The new generation of corridors seeks to reverse that logic. Rather than serving as channels for exporting raw materials alone, they are increasingly envisioned as platforms for manufacturing, logistics, technology transfer, and regional economic cooperation.

The intellectual foundations for this transformation have been explored extensively by Prof. Dr. Anis H. Bajrektarevic. In his book Europe and Africa: Similarities & Differences in Security Structures, co-authored with Giuliano Luongo, he argues that connectivity and regional integration constitute fundamental prerequisites for sustainable development and security. The work highlights how infrastructure networks can help overcome fragmentation, strengthen state capacity, and promote economic stability across regions that have historically faced structural disadvantages.