Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI): The Ethio-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway Share Company (EDR) launched construction of a landmark railway expansion project, connecting an industrial park on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to the main Ethiopia-Djibouti railway line.
EDR Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Takele Uma, addressing the launching event on Thursday, said the new project is the official start of EDR’s journey in connecting the railway line with industrial parks, free trade zones, agro-processing zones, and logistics centers by utilizing domestic engineering expertise.
According to the CEO, the newly-launched construction of a 3km railway line – connecting AMG Industrial Park on the outskirts of Addis Ababa to the main railway line, is set to be completed within the coming six months, which will eventually mark “a major milestone” in EDR’s capability to undertake major railway infrastructure construction projects using local expertise and capacity.
“This railway construction project is a pioneering and unique testament to our homegrown revolution – one that we are designing and constructing by our own engineers and expertise. Going forward, our ambition is to carry out similar railway construction projects in Ethiopia and beyond across the African continent,” the EDR chief added.
According to EDR, construction of the new project, which will be fully executed by EDR engineering experts – encompassing the entire scope of work from design and project management to full-scale construction, represents “a massive step forward” for local expertise and capacity building in the sector.
It said the “historic move” will inject a new impetus in EDR’s aspiration to transport industrial products and other export commodities directly from industrial facilities to ports at an “unmatched speed and service.”
Ethiopia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime, said as Ethiopia officially commenced the implementation phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement through initial exports of its key commodities to other African nations, the government has placed considerable emphasis on promoting regional economic integration. He said expanding railway and other critical infrastructure is a crucial element of the East African country’s goal to enhance regional integration.
“The construction of this railway line, which will be entirely executed using our domestic capacity from design to construction, demonstrates that Ethiopia’s initiative to achieve prosperity through self-reliance is yielding positive results,” he said.
The minister said as the country’s first-ever privately financed railway construction project, the newly-launched expansion project lays the foundation for EDR and the two connected countries’ economic future.
The minister stated that as the country’s first-ever privately financed railway construction initiative, the project sets a strong foundation for the economic future of both the EDR and the two connected countries.
EDR recently announced plans to increase the railway’s annual freight capacity from the current two million tonnes to 6.2 million tonnes by 2027, with an ambitious goal for the railway to handle at least 25 percent of Ethiopia’s total import and export trade.
(Photo, from EDR, shows cornerstone laying ceremony of the recently launched Ethiopia’s first-ever domestic, privately-financed railway expansion construction project.)
