Transport System of the African Continent: Challenges and Development Prospects

In the presented article, the authors describe the relevant state of the transport system in Africa, the specifics of its functioning, also the authors cover the main problems of its development in the context of strengthening the role of African states in the global economy and politics. The authors note that internal factors such as Africa's resource and demographic potential allow the continent to become one of the fastest-growing regions on the planet in the future. At the same time, it is important to understand that the current level of development of Africa's transport system negatively affects the pace of the continent's economic development. The reason for this may be the fact of a legacy of the colonial system that existed for a long time and then was replaced by neocolonial system, the main task of which was in the past and remains now - the unhindered exploitation of natural resources and the receipt of super profits by Western corporations. In this regard, the transport corridors on the continent were formed for the mentioned above goal. As a result, the share of African countries in global cargo and passenger turnover is currently insignificant and does not exceed several percent of the total volume. Despite this, the authors emphasize that the situation has tended to change for the better in recent years, as the BRICS countries are interested in deepening economic and investment cooperation with African countries, which will certainly contribute to the further development of the continent's transport and logistics system. The authors note that this sphere of cooperation is particularly relevant for Russia, as its political, trade and economic cooperation with African countries has reached a new level after the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions by Western states.