Overcoming geographical isolation of landlocked developing countries starts with large-scale investment in integrated, multimodal transport corridors, Adil Bahi, Director of Transport Strategy, Management, and Coordination at the Ministry of Transport and Logistics said on Thursday in Awaza, Turkmenistan.
Speaking at a round table organized as part of the 3rd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), Bahi stressed that major investment for this purpose should concern integrated transport corridors combining roads, railways, dry ports, and logistics platforms.
To bridge the connectivity gap in LLDCs, Bahi advocated accelerating the development of multimodal infrastructure.
The official also emphasized the importance of innovation and financing, noting that the latter remains a major obstacle. He thus called for better integration of transport projects into climate financing mechanisms, particularly those supporting rail infrastructure, multimodal logistics, and low-emission freight corridors.
Highlighting the significance of the Royal Initiative to facilitate access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, which will help these countries benefit from Moroccan infrastructure, Bahi reaffirmed the Kingdom's commitment to working hand in hand with LLDCs and all partners to transform geographical constraints into corridors of opportunity based on solid infrastructure, an ambitious vision, and shared prosperity.
In terms of institutional and technical capacity-building, the Moroccan official conveyed the Kingdom's willingness to support skill development efforts, particularly through its engineering, logistics, and training institutions, in favor of LLDCs willing to develop and manage cross-border transport systems.
With regard to the digitization of border procedures and logistic chains, Bahi spotlighted Morocco's significant investments in port community systems and digital freight traceability, calling for harmonizing technical standards and joint corridor governance.
The Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held on August 5-8, aims to rethink the development path of these landlocked countries. It provides a platform for exchange between high-level delegations, international officials, investors, and organizations to discuss, in particular, devising strategies to fully integrate the specific challenges of these countries into global policies, investment plans, and perspectives related to the sustainable development agenda.
The first edition was held in August 2003 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, while the second took place in November 2014 in Vienna, Austria.
(MAP: 07 August 2025)
