A $13.5 billion railway project linking the Kenyan port of Mombasa to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, will spearhead the development of the region. The 2,935-km line is one of several big infrastructure projects on the continent, reflecting renewed global interest among policymakers after years of focusing on health and education. Besides the Mombasa-Kigali rail link, a seven-year initiative to connect Niger and Ivory Coast is to begin next year as part of efforts to improve rail infrastructure in West Africa. The railway would link Niamey, the capital of landlocked Niger, with the Ivorian commercial hub of Abidjan, via the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, after the extension of mining activities in West Africa. The continent’s infrastructure needs are huge, but financing levels are only half the estimated $93 billion needed annually between now and 2015 to sustain seven per cent growth rates. Infrastructure is the key issue around plans for a development bank by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, known as the BRICS. The Mombasa-Kigali link is getting attention at the highest level. Leaders from Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have been meeting regularly on the project. Funding has been secured from China for the $3.7 billion Mombasa-Nairobi section, a distance of 500 km, and construction is due to begin in November.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 16:38:51 +0000
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