[ACCI-CAVIE] In June 2026, Nigeria expanded its East and Southern Africa air cargo initiative through a partnership with RwandAir, extending access to Kigali, Lusaka and Harare while strengthening connections with Nairobi and Johannesburg. Beyond the initiative itself, the development illustrates a broader reality of African trade: the conditions for reaching a market can change as quickly as the market itself. For companies expanding under the AfCFTA, this raises a question that is often overlooked. A market may offer demand, favourable regulations and attractive commercial prospects. But can the company reach it competitively, reliably and sustainably?
When proximity becomes misleading
Distance alone does not determine the real cost of accessing a market. A trade corridor brings together ports, roads, railways, border crossings, customs procedures, logistics operators and distribution networks. A weakness at any point can affect the performance of the entire commercial chain. The consequences are directly measurable in business terms. Longer transit times can increase working-capital requirements. Border delays can compromise delivery commitments. Higher transport costs can reduce margins. Uncertainty along the route can make pricing and planning more difficult.
A market that appears close on a map may therefore be less attractive than a more distant market connected by a more reliable corridor.
The route is part of the market
This changes the way market-entry decisions should be prepared. Demand, competition and purchasing power remain essential, but they cannot be considered in isolation. Companies also need to understand the route connecting them to their customers. Which port provides the most reliable access? Which border crossings present recurring delays? How predictable are transit times? Which transport mode is best suited to the product? Which logistics partners can effectively manage the route? And how exposed would the business be if a critical section were disrupted?
These questions may appear operational. In reality, they can determine whether an expansion strategy is commercially viable.
When logistics becomes competitive intelligence
The challenge becomes even greater because corridors are not static. Infrastructure projects, regulatory changes, new transport services, congestion, customs reforms or disruptions can modify the conditions of competition. Yet these changes may go unnoticed when companies only collect information at the moment they need to make a transaction. This is where corridor monitoring becomes part of competitive intelligence.
The objective is not simply to know that a road is being improved, that a port is congested or that a border procedure has changed. The real value lies in understanding what that change means for the company’s costs, customers, competitors and market position. This is consistent with the broader role attributed to trade corridors in African integration. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) identifies them as important instruments for infrastructure development, continental integration and local economic development.
What decision makers should monitor
A company preparing to enter an African market should therefore combine market intelligence with continuous monitoring of the environment through which its business will operate. Transport costs, transit-time reliability, customs procedures, infrastructure developments, logistics capacity and potential disruption points deserve regular attention. So do the changes that may alter the relative position of competing routes or markets.
The objective is not to find the shortest route at a given moment. It is to identify and continuously monitor the conditions that make a route commercially viable.
From information to strategic capability
This requires more than occasional market research. It requires a structured ability to identify relevant signals, verify information, connect seemingly unrelated developments and assess their implications for the business. That is precisely where a company’s internal capacity for market and strategic intelligence becomes valuable.
Teams capable of monitoring markets, identifying key actors, detecting changes and producing useful intelligence can give decision makers more than information: they provide an early view of what may affect the business.
This is one of the areas in which the African Center for Competitive Intelligence (CAVIE) has built its expertise, through training and operational services dedicated to market intelligence, strategic monitoring and competitive intelligence in African markets. Its offer includes training in African Market Monitoring and Intelligence, as well as sectoral and strategic monitoring services and the establishment of dedicated intelligence units. For companies seeking to expand across Africa, the strategic question is therefore no longer simply which market to enter, but which conditions must be monitored to remain competitive once there.
Geography determines where the opportunity lies. Intelligence helps determine whether the opportunity can be captured.
The Editorial staff