- The World Bank and the African Development Bank will finance the rail link between Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi to enhance trade among East African nations. The construction works of the railway line is likely be completed by 2014, according to Burundian officials.
Burundian officials said several parts of this study leading to the construction of the rail line has already been presented in Tunis, capital of Tunisia during a roundtable meeting with development partners and the private sector and was approved in March.
According to officials, the project was approved on the basis that it was bankable, economically and financially feasible, saying it would play a critical role in enhancing trade among east African state.
Rwanda is in charge of coordinating the multi-country project and the current plan for the railroad is to construct a modern high-speed train that travels with a minimum speed of 120 kilometres per hour.
Upon completion, most importers and exporters will shift from Mombasa port to Dar es Salaam as it will become possible to travel to Kigali within a single day, as opposed to the six days it currently takes.
If the project is successful, the high-speed train will be the fastest in the East African region with the capacity to carry several tonnes of cargo in each of the 2,000 wagons, according to officials.
The railway project will provide an efficient common multinational transport network that will prop up regional economic integration and develop zones with high mining, agriculture, industrial and commercial potential in the wider region, encompassing the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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