Tanzania and Burundi have issued a request for proposals for the design and construction of an electrified railway that aims to connect the two nations and pass through the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The project is part of Tanzania’s efforts to capitalize on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the world’s largest single market, and build the second multinational electrified railway in Africa.
The planned electrified Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line will span approximately 282 kilometers, starting from Uvinza in Tanzania, along the Malagarasi river to Musongati, and then to Gitega in Burundi. The governments of Tanzania and Burundi have signed a bilateral agreement to implement this project as a joint venture within their territories, according to the tender document.
The timeline for the completion of the project is set at 5 years, and once finished, it will become the second cross-border electrified rail in Africa, following Ethiopia and Djibouti, which opened the first entirely electric international railway line on the continent in 2016.
Funding for the construction of the Tanzania-Burundi railway has been requested from the African Development Bank, as stated in the bidding document. Tanzania has been actively working to upgrade its regional rail networks to boost cross-border trade, signing a $2.2 billion agreement with China in December 2022 for the construction of a 2,561-kilometer-long SGR network that will connect the port city of Dar es Salaam to landlocked nations such as the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.
The completion of the SGR project is expected to position Tanzania as a key player in facilitating cross-border trade in the region, surpassing its regional rivals, particularly Kenya, which is currently the largest economy in East Africa. “Upon completion of the SGR, Tanzania will be in a better position to utilize its strategic geographical positioning to facilitate cross-border trade,” stated Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
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