Multinational - Design of Rehabilitation for Five North

This project is about preparatory studies for the North South Corridor (NSC) which is part of a priority program of the Tripartite Free Trade Area, a joint initiative of 3 Regional Economic Communities (RECs): Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). Also, the NSC is one of the programmes contained in the priority regional and continental Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA PAP) planned for implementation up to 2020. The program is an important step towards the formation of a Free Trade Area across the three RECs of COMESA, EAC and SADC. The program seeks to improve transport infrastructure along the corridor which links 8 countries in southern and eastern Africa with the objective of enhancing regional integration, trade, movement of goods and persons. Several development partners, including the Bank, have pledged resources for the NSC program, including a number of projects that will be prepared as part of this support.