As our country prepares to impose extreme tariffs on China and other important countries to our economy, it's important to remember how other nations are faring in their trade negotiations. For example, landlocked countries are countries with only land borders. This means that they have no direct access to the ocean, one of the world’s cheapest way to trade internationally. There are a little over 30 of these countries in the world and 15 of them are in Africa (Rosenberg). In fact, these 15 are among the least developed countries in the world. This is owed in part to their landlocked state (Rosenberg). Their location causes them to face many disadvantages and be less stable overall.
The disadvantages these countries face seem minor, but in fact have a large effect on the development and economy of the country. This map ranks the HDI of a country, a measurement of how developed a country is, visually, from white to dark green (World in Data). Niger and Chad, sitting at .35 and .39, are extremely less developed than their northern, Mediterranean neighbors, Algeria and Libya, .74 and .72 (World in Data). This is because these landlocked countries have to make unstable trade deals with their neighbors, resulting in delays and extreme tariffs on all products (World Bank). In fact items headed to inland may need to pass up to three separate security checks, taking upwards of five weeks to cross from coastal to inland countries, meaning that the real issues in this system are the ports and their management (World Bank). While these disadvantages are extreme, there are solutions being worked on.
It may seem difficult to overcome these issues, but there are a few solutions being worked on by foreign aid organizations. The most extensive project being worked on is China’s railroad project. This project will attempt to cut costs by 50% and decrease danger and emissions. (Oirere) According to Shem Oirere, a freelance reporter who once worked in a Kenyan newspaper, “Transportation… to the landlocked countries of Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and parts of Democratic Republic of Congo is… expected to be much faster, safer and more efficient” The project focuses on getting products out of ports rather than into the countries because the majority of the delays are focused in the ports. Another important development happened only a few months ago, in the form of a bill which, if past, aims to support integration and increase the United States’ ability to help these countries (Hrubry).
Landlocked countries face great disadvantages all because of their positions. They must deal with great delays, tariffs, and weakened economies which, in turn, make their governments less stable and their people less happy. These problems are being dealt with, however, by powerful countries like the U.S. and China, who are increasingly helping as much as they can.
Works Cited
Rosenberg, Matt. “Can You Name All of Africa's Landlocked Countries?” ThoughtCo, 9 Apr.
“Human Development Index (HDI).” Our World in Data,
“Landlocked Countries: Higher Transport Costs, Delays, Less Trade.” World Bank, 16 June
Oirere, Shem. “Feature: Modern Railways and the Route to Boosted Growth in Eastern Africa.”
Supply Chain Digital, Shem Oirere, 23 Feb. 2018, www.supplychaindigital.com/distribution/feature-modern-railways-and-route-boosted-growth-eastern-africa.
Hrubry, Audrey. “Congress Poised to Remove Hurdles to U.S.–Africa Development Aid.” Axios,
I appreciate the way you made a parallel to the US in your hook. Reading the title of the article, I did not quite understand why being landlocked was so bad but your hook made it very clear, making it easy to read the rest of the article. I was surprised that delays, tariffs, and weak economies are an effect of being landlocked. My favorite part of your article is the hook and the conclusion inspired me. Do you happen to know what the 5 landlocked countries outside of Africa face?
ReplyDeleteI like the way you integrated current world events involving the US into your hook. It draws in the reader since it relates to something happening in their country. I was particularly surprised at all the consequences of being landlocked. I thought a landlocked country could just ship its exports by river or something to reach the ocean, which would not be very expensive to do. What inspired you to choose landlocked countries as a topic?
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