HORN OF AFRICA REGIONAL ECONOMIC MEMORANDUM BACKGROUND PAPER 5 - Enhancing Intra-regional Connectivity in the Horn of Africa - Background Paper

Jul 19, 2026

This paper examines how strengthening intraregional connectivity in the Horn of Africa supports regional integration, trade, and transport. It explains how poor connectivity signals weak integration and constrains market access, while improved corridor connectivity can link connected economic centers across countries. Using a corridor development lens, it motivates identifying key nodes and network linkages, assessing inter-city connections, city centrality, and implications for lagging borderland regions to improve integration outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages44

Reading Time1 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Why intercity connectivity is key to regional integration

Analytical framework

Identifying key nodes for connectivity in the HoA

Data sources and specification of connections

Network specification

Formal network analysis of connectivity matrix

Results: city connectivity in the HoA

Inter-city connections in the HoA

City centrality in the HoA

Regional integration in the HoA

Policy perspectives of connectivity for the HoA

References

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized © 2021 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/THE WORLD BANK 1818 H Street NW Washington, DC 20433 USA All rights reserved Photos: Shutterstock and Unsplash. HORN OF AFRICA REGIONAL ECONOMIC MEMORANDUM BACKGROUND PAPER 5 Enhancing Intra-regional Connectivity in the Horn of Africa -Charles Kunaka & Ben Derudder iv CONTENTS 1 Background .............................................................................................................................................. 1 2 Why intercity connectivity is key to regional integration .. 3 3 Analytical framework ................................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Identifying the key nodes for connectivity in the HoA ..................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Data sources and specification of connections ... 9 3.3 Analytical framework ............................................................................. 12 A. Network specification ............................................................ 12 B. Formal network analysis of connectivity matrix ............................................................................................................. 13 4 Results: city connectivity in the HoA ................................................................ 17 4.1 Inter-city connections in the HoA ...................................... 17 4.2 City centrality in t he HoA ................................................................ 21 4.3 Regional integration in the HoA ............................................ 26 5 Policy perspectives of connectivity for the HoA ............................. 31 References ................................................................................................................................................. 35 v vi SECTION 1 | INTRODUCTION SECTION 1 Background The Horn of Africa (HoA) Initiative places the development of regional corridors at the centre of the regional integration agenda. Poor intraregional connectivity has emerged as one of the main signals of weak regional integration as well as an impediment to increased trade within the region. Regional dialogue in the HoA places a premium on measures to enhance interconnectivity and remove hurdles to the flow of trade and transport. Enhancing connectivity should enhance access to broad factor and product markets and make connected economic centers in different countries more attractive by providing productivity benefits. From a corridor development perspective, the place of an economic centre, its location and role, its linkages with other centers in a network will determine how it benefits from the HoA initiative. A classical definition of a corridor is that it is “is a coordinated bundle of transport and logistics infrastructure and services that facilitates trade and transport flows between major centers of economic activity” (Kunaka, Carruthers, 2014) . For instance, depending on an economic center’s position in a connected corridor network, it can intermediate flows of components and goods between other centers and benefit from its position. As such, this paper is intended to focus dialogue on how to best envision the network of corridors in the Horn. Some of the policy questions it aims to answer are: (a) which regional links would have the most impact on overall regional connectivity: (b) how critical are national transport networks to connectivity outcomes in the region; and (c) what would bethe best strategy for improving the integration oflagging regions, many of them in the borderlands of the Horn of Africa. The paper is based on the hypothesis that improving connectivity between the major economic centers in the

FAQs

Why is intercity connectivity important for regional integration in the Horn of Africa?

Poor intraregional connectivity signals weak regional integration and limits trade flows. Enhancing connectivity improves access to factor and product markets and makes connected economic centers more attractive.

How does the corridor development perspective shape the paper’s focus?

It emphasizes how an economic center’s location, role, and linkages within a corridor network determine the benefits from the Horn of Africa initiative, including intermediate flows and productivity effects.

What is the role of distance versus transport infrastructure in driving city connectivity?

In the Horn of Africa, distance is decisive, but research highlights that relative presence or absence of inter-city transport infrastructure more directly explains inter-city connectivity outcomes.

Jul 19, 2026

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