The government of Rwanda is seeking US $1.3bn to
subsidise its portion of the Isaka-Kigali SGR line that links Rwanda and
Tanzania. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, the Minister
of State in charge of Transport revealed the reports and said that the study
for the project has been completed and the funds are needed to kick-start the
project.
The 571-kilometre Isaka-Kigali SGR line travels in
a general northwesterly direction from the inland container depot (ICD) at
Isaka, in Kahama Rural District of Shinyanga Region, in Tanzania to the border
town of Rusumo, in Kirehe District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda, where it
then continues westward to end at Kigali, the capital and largest city of the
country.
The minister explained that investing in transport
projects is among the Rwandan government’s top priorities as a way to attract
investment in productive sectors, improve the business environment and increase
job opportunities.
Upon completion the project will reduce logistics
costs, boost trade and ease the movement of people and cargo between Tanzania
and Rwanda as well as other neighbouring countries that will be a part of the
network, including Burundi and the DRC.
The republic of Tanzania is making remarkable
progress on their section. Recently the country’s Minister for Works, Transport
and Communications announced that phase one of the project which is between Dar
es Salaam and Morogoro is inching closer to completion.
The government has also awarded a second contract worth US $1.92bn to a firm from Turkey for the construction of the line between Morogoro and Makutupora in addition to advertising for designing and building services for the Makutupora-Tabora-Isaka-Mwanza sections of the railway line.https://constructionreviewonline.com/2019/05/rwanda-seeks-us-1-3bn-to-subsidize-its-portion-of-the-isaka-kigali-sgr-line/
