Governance of Transport Corridors in OIC Member States:
Challenges, Cases and Policy Lessons
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5.2.10 Conclusions
The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Agreement (NCTTA) has a very strong legal basis.
NCTTA is a treaty coupled with 11 protocols. These 11 Protocols on strategic areas for regional
cooperation are relating to: Maritime Port Facilities, Routes and Facilities, Customs Controls and
Operations, Documentation and Procedures, Transport of Goods by Rail, Transport of Goods by Road,
Inland Waterways Transport of Goods, Transport by Pipeline, Multimodal Transport of Goods,
Handling of Dangerous Goods and Measures of Facilitation for Transit Agencies, Traders and
Employees. The basis of the treaty is to institutionalize mechanisms to enhance regional cooperation
with a view of facilitating interstate and transit trade, between the Member States of Burundi,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. As mentioned earlier, South Sudan
acceded to the Agreement in 2012.
The Agreement provides the legal framework for collaboration among these countries on matters to
do with transit transport; customs control; documentation and procedures; as well as the development
of infrastructure and facilities relating to sea ports, inland ports and waterways, roads, railways,
pipelines and border posts. This in order to achieve its objectives, i.e. (i) ensure freedom of transit
among the member states; (ii) safeguard right to access to/from the sea for landlocked countries; (iii)
develop and integrate the regional transport facilities and services; and (iv) facilitate inter-state and
transit trade.
The institution responsible for the management of the Northern Corridor is the Northern Corridor
Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA). The NCTTCA has been mandated by the
Member States to oversee the implementation of the agreement, to monitor its performance and to
transform the Northern trade route into an economic development corridor and making the corridor
a seamless, efficient, smart and green corridor.
What makes NCTTA rather unique is that besides obtaining financial contributions from contracting
parties and donor agencies, it also exerts a levy on goods loaded or unloaded at Mombasa Port or on
goods leaving or entering any customs post using the corridor itineraries as defined in this agreement
and its protocols. This makes NCTTA financially more sustainable than most other international
corridor governance and management institutions. Therefore, it must account for its activities. In
2012, the Northern Transport Observatory was launched, which monitors and reports regularly on the
performance of the Northern Corridor.
Good practice of corridor governance
Based on the information provided above, the following good practices can be identified:
 The Norther Corridor has created a strong legal basis (through the Northern Corridor Transit and
Transport Agreement), which established the foundation for regional cooperation among the
Member States on matters to do with transit transport. This includes customs control;
documentation and procedures; as well as the development of infrastructure and facilities relating
to sea ports, inland ports and waterways, roads, railways, pipelines and border posts;
 A organisation (NCTTA) has been mandated by the Member States to oversee the implementation
of the agreement and to monitor its performance. The performance monitoring can be seen as a
strong asset, notably through the establishment of the Northern Transport Observatory;
 The NCTTA has a strong financial basis, with multiple funding sources, including user levies;