This archive report was first published on 9 December 2019.
December 9, 2019
Tanzania has made a significant move in the East African railway landscape by signing an agreement to link its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This development is a blow to Kenya's hopes of linking the SGR from Mombasa to Kampala and other East African nations.
According to the East African, transport ministers from the three countries signed the agreement last week.
The first phase of the project will cover 240km, connecting Kigoma in north-western Tanzania to Msongati region in Burundi and extending into the eastern regions of DRC.
Isack Kamwele, Tanzania's minister for transport, stated that each country will finance its portion of the SGR.
Once complete, the Tanzanian SGR will stretch for 1,457km from Dar es Salaam to the shores of Lake Victoria, estimated to cost $6.5 billion (Tsh14 trillion).
The new agreement is expected to boost Tanzania's ports and provide Burundi and DRC with lower import and export costs.
Tanzania has also signed an agreement with Rwanda for a 575km extension into Kigali.
