Working Paper

Impact of COVID-19 on Transport and Logistics Sector in East Africa

The beginning of the year 2020 witnessed an unprecedented global health crisis caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Outbreaks of the respiratory illness were first reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China (WHO, 2020a). The outbreaks would soon escalate into a health crisis never imagined; unprecedented in terms of contagiousness, fatalities, and global geographical spread affecting all countries leading to a global pandemic. This has resulted in the loss of lives and a multitude of socioeconomic consequences with little or no signs of it being abated; what started as a health crisis in one country quickly degenerated into a disaster impacting social and economic aspects of nations. Transport and logistics remain an integral part of the supply value chain at the regional and international levels. Any disruption to the transport and logistics sector causes adverse effects on trade, socioeconomic development, and overall sustainability. There is a symbiotic relationship between supply chain performance and revenue, demonstrating the sector’s contribution to a country’s economic development. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on the transport and logistics sector in the East Africa region and recommend policy measures for containing pandemics without disrupting transport and supply chain logistics in the region.