Governance of Transport Corridors in OIC Member States:
Challenges, Cases and Policy Lessons
6
 TEN-T’s transport projects are established based on the principle of co-funding, meaning there is a
high incentive to incorporate all relevant stakeholders (national- and local governments, and
private parties) as early in the governance process as possible.
SEETO has developed over time (after signing the MoU in 2004) into an established regional
organisation with a well-functioning governance structure. SEETO proves that countries who share a
history of internal disputes can successfully collaborate at a regional level. The common transport
(corridor) agenda, which literally connects countries and share a joint ambition to be connected to the
TEN-T, provides a strong basis for collaboration. A solid MoU and a clear institutional structure, with
a concise yet effective secretariat, in parallel with well-developed governance aspects, such as a
dedicated monitoring system, periodic reporting and a link to infrastructure financing, provides the
basis for corridor governance in line with needs of the participating countries. Good practices of this
corridor are:
 SEETO was established by members that did not have any extensive political cooperation project
running between them. In this respect, the MoU from 2004 or the treaty from 2017 can be used by
other organisations as a starting point for developing their own corridor. As many corridors
operate based on a MoU, in particular the Transport Community Treaty may be useful if corridor
organisations wish to elevate their corridor governance to the next level of integration;
 Upon looking at the content of SEETO’s annual action plans, a gradual shift can be identified with
respect to the nature of the proposed actions. Whereas in the initial stages, the focus was on
implementing hard infrastructure investment and harmonized system of data collection, recent
years saw the introduction of soft infrastructure oriented measurements, such as common
maintenance programs or bilateral border crossing agreements. An explanation of this trend could
be that hard infrastructure investments and good data quickly yield measurable results, whereas
soft infrastructure effects are usually more indirect and visible in the long term. While quickly
observable results are not always the most efficient transport interventions, they are helpful for
gaining further support for developing the corridor;
 Support from an international organisation has been essential for SEETO’s development. From the
start, the EU, in collaboration with other organisations, has been a main driver behind SEETO’s
development. The EU can not only draw on its own experience with developing a regional transport
policy, it also has the legitimacy of an independent partner.
The Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI) was established in 2004 by eight parties: MPDC
(Maputo Port Development Company), MIPS (Mozambique International Port Services), TCM (Coal
Terminal Matola), TRAC (Trans-Africa Concessions), MMC (Manganese Metal Company), TSB (sugar),
TAL (Trans Africa Logistics), and later also the Department of Transport of South Africa, which joined
MCLI in 2006. The majority of the founders were private sector investors, service providers and cargo
owners operating along the corridor. The funding of MCLI is guaranteed via annual contributions from
its members; efforts are made to further strengthen the revenue base and develop additional services.
The corridor provides a strong example in which private sector representatives have joined forces to
organise corridor governance. Good practices of this corridor are:
 The MCLI is based on a collaboration between public and private partners; with infrastructure
investors, service providers and users included, all focused on the promotion and further
development of the Maputo Corridor;