Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema have agreed to revamp the old Tanzania-Zambia Railways (TAZARA).
The decision was made during Hichilema’s official one-day visit to Tanzania on 2nd August 2022.
During their meeting at the State House in Dar es Salaam, President Hassan said that line that connects the city’s port with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia’s Central Province does not deliver as expected and is hence in need of an upgrade to Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
She also explained that the financing for the upgrade would be secured through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Meanwhile, TAZARA’s Board noted in a press release that the participation of other investors would include the Chinese.
About TAZARA
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway is a single-track railway of 1,860 km that was built from 1970 to 1975 to link the port of Dar es Salaam Tanzania with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia’s Central Province.
China funded the project mainly to provide an alternative route from Zambia to Dar es Salaam to export its copper.
In the 1990s, the economic performance of the railway began to decline and continued deteriorating over the years.
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