Tanzania’s $3.1 billion Standard Gauge Railway, built by Turkey’s Yapi Merkezi, is Africa’s latest transformative infrastructure project. Stretching from Dar es Salaam to Lake Victoria, the electrified line reduces travel time between the port of Dar es Salaam and Morogoro to two hours. As a result, it significantly enhances trade and connectivity across the East African country and its neighbors like Burundi and Rwanda. Despite initial skepticism over costs, officials believe the railway will create jobs, improve port efficiency, and boost regional trade. However, challenges loom, including ensuring effective management, technical expertise for maintenance, and mitigating risks of corruption. Experts advocate for private sector participation and robust accountability measures to avoid repeating failures of previous African mega projects, such as the TAZARA railway.
SOURCE: DW
