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Introduction
Project background and objectives
The Transport Logistics Diagnostic Tool (TLDT) is intended to assist USAID, other donors, governments, and the private sector in developing countries in identifying and addressing transport logistics problems.1 It measures the performance of transport logistics chains in terms of time, price, and reliability and identifies bottlenecks and assesses their impact on transport systems that constrain the seamless flow objective of freight.
The TLDT process is designed to help USAID and developing country stakeholders and policymakers prioritize problems and communicate with each other about port and logistics chain inefficiencies and potential solutions. The TLDT contains a screening system that (1) assesses and quantifies the relative importance of a problem in a logistics chain, and (2) helps users prioritize improvements credibly and transparently so that all parties can participate in the analysis to arrive at a mutually acceptable result. The tool also evaluates possible interventions to resolve these problems.
TLDT Version 1.0 was delivered to USAID in September 2006. Nathan Associates recently analyzed the Maputo Corridor and two freight corridors in the ASEAN region as test scenarios for TLDT under the TCB Bridge Task Order to improve the tool’s effectiveness and ease of use. Also, as an ancillary product of our TLDT application, the team is using the TLDT to carry out a diagnosis of the Maputo Corridor, highlighting barriers in the import/export logistics chain related to infrastructure, services, processes, and policy and regulations that result in delays, increased costs, and poor service or reliability; the team is also identifying and evaluating
potential interventions.
Report structure
This report is the first technical report under the TLDT implementation activity. It first presents an overview of the Maputo Corridor and its transport logistics system. Then, it presents results and findings from stakeholder interviews, emphasizing the identification of constraints along the corridor. The report also analyzes market and traffic flows, makes observations, and presents preliminary conclusions about the inefficiencies in Corridor performance. These findings will be elaborated on, and improvements suggested, in the corridor Performance Assessment Report, to be submitted later.
Footnote:
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The TLDT was developed with funding from both USAID (under the Trade and Capacity Building contract) and Nathan Associates and its partners.
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