Why does transit trade make up a large share of shipping through Brazzaville?

Transit trade accounts for a large share of shipping through Brazzaville because the city serves as a vital inland port and the terminus of the Congo-Ocean Railway system.21

Brazzaville acts as a critical transshipment hub where freight and passengers traveling downriver from Bangui in the Central African Republic transfer from river transport to the railroad. This rail line then carries the goods to the Atlantic coast at the port of Pointe-Noire. Because this route provides essential access to the ocean for neighboring countries—including the Central African Republic, Chad, and parts of western Cameroon—nearly half of the shipping handled at the port is transit trade intended for these nations.21