# _5.1.4  ICT (Information and Communication Technology) constraints_

Encouraging progress has been made in expanding coverage in the area of information and communication technology due to revolutionary technical change as well as the increased role of the private sector. However, Africa is still far behind other regions of the world in terms of access to ICT. A key inhibiting factor to the development of broadband connectivity in the region has been the lack of sufficiently-developed ICT backbone networks. While the mobile infrastructure has witnessed considerable expansion in recent years, there are still very significant gaps in the regional ICT backbone infrastructure. Several recent studies suggest that the economic impacts of broadband are substantial and robust. Broadband can play a significant role in transforming a country’s economy and improving its regional or global integration and competitiveness. In the context of an increasingly information-based economy, weakly developed broadband inhibits connectivity and integration in a very fundamental way (Gillwald and Stork, 2009)..

# _5.1.5  Transit and border procedures_

Intra-regional trade in Eastern Africa is inhibited not only by the poor quality of physical infrastructure, but also by regulatory and administrative hurdles that inflate the costs of, and cause long delays for, freight movements along the region’s transport corridors. Indeed, a key reason for East Africa’s poor competitiveness and trade performance is the high cost of trade incurred in transporting and moving goods across borders. Customs inefficiency, corruption, roadblocks and weighbridges are often being cited as key barriers to business development in the region (Mwijagye, 2009).

Trucks are forced to go through weighbridges, either mobile or grounded, to ensure their compliance with regional axle load and gross vehicle weight standards. The lack of proper equipment and design problems in weighbridges causes congestion and delays. Most often, trucks are stuck in long lines. Weighbridges should normally require 3 minutes for transit. According to the East African Business Council survey, however, trucks on average spend 92 minutes and some weighbridges actually require up to five hours. There are also frequent unwarranted roadblocks and checkpoints. Inspections are notorious for their lack of procedural transparency. Officials regularly deviate from the commonly-agreed inspection procedures and drivers are subjected to administrative harassment and outright extortion.

The key problems that plague border crossings have been extensively documented and include: excessive documentary requirements and anachronistic official procedures; insufficient use of ICT systems; questionable due process--lack of transparency, predictability and consistency in customs activities and determinations; unclear demarcation of responsibilities and lack of efficient cooperation among customs and other governmental agencies.

Customs authorities and procedures in East Africa, like those in other parts of the continent, are opaque and unpredictable. Firms have to spend considerable time searching for information and frequently have to pay bribes, penalties, and fees for administrative or judicial appeals. All of these 18