Imani specialises in transport and infrastructure as key pillars of development. In developing countries, the lack of efficient and effective transportation and infrastructure, combined with bureaucratic regulatory impediments, is adversely affecting economic development by raising transport costs as well as causing significant delays which, in turn, hamper effective supply-chain management. Investment in these areas is therefore seen as an important tool of regional development. Imani Development has undertaken various studies on national transport and infrastructure policies, investment strategies, and the design and appraisal of individual projects.

Imani’s projects have included focus areas on: national transport policies in South Africa, Swaziland and Malawi; regional co-operation in transport, energy and telecommunications in Southern and Eastern Africa; feasibility studies of road, rail, air, port, water and sewerage projects in various countries in Southern and Eastern Africa; and multimodal regional transport and development corridors, notably the Coast-to-Coast, Walvis Bay, Nacala and Mtwara Development Corridors.

Transport and Infrastructure services offered by Imani:

  • Feasibility Studies (Financial and Economic Cost-benefit Analysis)
  • Social and Economic Impact Studies
  • Supply-chain Analysis
  • Quantitative Modelling
  • Investment Strategies
  • Transport Policy Development
  • Comparative Research

Project Highlights: 

African Development Bank – Benchmarking Customs and Border Management Performance in COMESA Member States (2016 – 2017)
Measuring of the time required for merchandise crossing border is an important element to assess country’s competitiveness and to identify the situation and the needs of trade facilitation in the country. This assignment applied the WCO Time Release Study to measure and benchmark customs and border management performance in 10 COMESA Member States and their contiguous neighbour nations. Additional to this the assignment also included assisting the COMESA Secretariat and Member States in building capacity to design collection mechanisms, collect data , and improve their ability to conduct analysis and draft policy recommendations.

African Development Bank – Development of One-Stop Border Posts Policy of South Africa (2014 – 2015)
The South African National Treasury received a grant from the African Development Bank to develop a national policy on One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) for South Africa. This project is part of the government’s regional integration efforts and seeks to ensure a coherent, harmonised and consistent South African approach to road and rail border management. The policy should be designed to assist and guide the development and standardisation of OSBPs between South Africa and it’s neighbouring countries. Included amongst the activities are: mapping out the current problems around land border management and assessing whether OSBPs can assist in addressing these challenges; reviewing current border operational requirements and establishing a foundation for South Africa’s engagement with the continent on OSBP development in relation to corridors, consulting with stakeholders in and outside of government on elements of an appropriate OSBP policy, amongst others.

World Bank – Cross-border Value Chain Assessment: Transport and Logistics (2014)
As part of the World Bank’s technical support to Botswana under the Economic Diversification and Competitiveness program, the World Bank is overseeing the development of cross-border value chain studies in three priority sectors. This project focused on the transport and logistics sector. This study aimed to understand the current state of the transport and logistics sector in Botswana, its competitiveness, positioning, and relationship with the wider SACU transport and logistics sector, and the opportunities and requirements for establishing a competitive position in the sector. The specific objectives of study were to understand the current structure of the transport and logistics value chain in Botswana and across SACU, assess the determinants and barriers to competitiveness in different parts of the value chain, identify specific opportunities for investors in Botswana to leverage their comparative advantage to exploit opportunities in relevant parts of the value chain and identify the main constraints preventing Botswana from taking advantage of these opportunities and recommend policies to address these constraints. As the primary focus was on the transport and logistics sector itself, the project covered basic transport services, warehousing services, basic services like clearing and forwarding, and value-added logistics services. Particular attention was paid to the value-added services sector, including coverage of specialised logistics services (e.g. cool chain, mining and other sector-specific services), third and fourth-party logistics (3PL and 4PL), and integrator services. The assessment included an overview of regional and global value chains in the transport and logistics sector, an assessment of the Botswana transport and logistics sector, an analysis of competitiveness and constraints in the national and regional context, policy recommendations and identification of investment opportunities.

World Bank – Mozambique Customs Modernisation (2013 – 2014)
This project required the review of operations in the Customs Administration of Mozambique, the recommendation of solutions to problems identified and the provision of training and performance support, where necessary, in the areas of policy, legislation and procedures, human resource management, communications and training. The overall objective of the project was the reform and modernisation of the Mozambique Customs Administration to facilitate trade by enabling more efficient clearance of imports, exports and transit transactions.

TradeMark East Africa – Uganda-South Sudan Corridor Facilities Advisory Scoping Study (2013)
This study focused on ensuring that the proposed facilities will harmonise trade facilitation efforts and avoid duplication of efforts and resources. The Gulu-Nimule-Elegu-Juba corridor is one of the highest priority roads between Uganda and South Sudan since it provides South Sudan with vital access to Uganda and is also the most efficient route to the port of Mombasa, Kenya. Numerous infrastructure and trade projects are being implemented, planned or have been completed in order to facilitate trade on this corridor. These include both hard (e.g., roads, bridges and ICT infrastructure for customs operations) and soft (e.g., simplification of customs documents and procedures) infrastructure.

Ethekwini Transport Authority- Integrated Freight and Logistics Strategic Framework and Action Plan for the Ethekwini Municipal Area (2012-2013)
This project was undertaken by a consortium of Royal Haskoning DHV and Imani. Durban is South Africa’s leading port city but is experiencing serious congestion on its street and road network serving the port. The project included a report on the status quo, a feasibility study of a dedicated freight road linking both the existing port and the proposed new dig-out port with Cato Ridge, a feasibility study of an international hub at Cato Ridge, and the preparation of a strategy which would enable the ETA to meet its aim of reducing the volume of heavy goods vehicles on the city’s streets and transferring freight from road to rail wherever possible.