Two Chinese companies have won the contract to build a $1.32bn railway line in Tanzania, the East African nation’s foreign minister said, extending more than a decade of Chinese involvement in the country. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway Construction will build the 341km link to connect the Lake Victoria port city of Mwanza in the north to the town of Isaka, on the way to the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli, who was re-elected in October 2020, promised to continue implementing major projects as he seeks to build an industrialised nation. The Mwanza-Isaka line is part of a more than 2,561km railway network that Magufuli’s administration plans to build. Construction of the first and the second phases is being undertaken by Turkish construction company Yapi Markez. CCECC has undertaken several construction projects in Tanzania, including the Ubungo road interchange. It is also working on a rapid transit bus system in Dar es Salaam. China Railway Corporation has carried out several projects in Africa, including a railway between Ethiopia and Djibouti.
SOURCE: BUSINESS DAY LIVE