Southern Africa is investing heavily in railway infrastructure to strengthen regional trade, reduce transport costs, and improve cross-border connectivity under the African Continental Free Trade Area. In South Africa, authorities have opened the freight rail network to private operators in what is the country’s biggest rail reform in decades. Elsewhere in the region, major corridors—including the North-South, Lobito Corridor linking the DRC, Zambia, and South Africa; Mozambique’s Nacala Corridor; the TAZARA line between Tanzania and Zambia; and Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway—are undergoing significant upgrades or expansion. These projects aim to improve the movement of minerals, agricultural products, and manufactured goods across the region while easing reliance on road transport. Public-private partnerships are playing a central role in the initiative, with billions of dollars already committed to new rail links, ports, and logistics facilities. Together, the investments are expected to boost regional integration, lower shipping costs, attract private capital, and strengthen Southern Africa’s long-term economic competitiveness.
African Business