First Independent Mena Newspaper
Morocco’s modernisation is an inspirational success. The country has built world-class ports, attracted tens of billions in investment, and positioned itself as a bridge between Africa and Europe—and between East and West, says Modern Diplomacy magazine in its latest edition. Since 2020, the country has drawn about $40 billion in greenfield manufacturing investment, becoming the […]
Kenya and Uganda have secured a major legal victory after the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) dismissed a $2 billion claim filed by Rift Valley Railways (RVR) consortium over a terminated railway concession. The dispute stemmed from a 25-year agreement signed in 2006, granting RVR the right to manage and operate the 2,350-kilometer Kenya-Uganda […]
For the first time in years, a passenger train has crossed into Sinai as part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to modernize its transportation network. The Ministry of Transport has initiated a trial run of the 100-kilometer Al-Fardan–Bir al-Abd railway line in Sinai, a significant milestone in the region’s rail infrastructure development. Deputy Prime Minister for […]
Four East African Community (EAC) member states — Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan — have joined the joint project by Kenya and Uganda to develop a modern railway to ease movement of goods on the Northern Corridor. The decision was made during a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee on […]
Trade between Nigeria and neighboring Niger has bounced back since the West African bloc ECOWAS lifted sanctions on the latter coup-hit country, just as the president of the ECOWAS Commission admits Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso’s withdrawal will cost the regional bloc as much as US$1 billion. In January 2024, the three countries led by military […]
Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is poised to commence a “world’s biggest” $20 billion mining project in the Republic of Guinea this year, following a 27-year wait marked by several legal and political setbacks, scandals and several false dawns. The $20 billion iron ore, rail, and port development in a remote corner of West Africa […]
The train traffic ensuring the transportation of hundreds of thousands of people and tons of goods between Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso has been temporarily suspended due to a defect in the railway on the Ivorian side caused by heavy rainfalls over the last week-end. Sitarail, the company operating the 1,260km railway line between the […]
As the Southern African Railway Association (SARA) announced it is pushing ahead with the drafting of a regional railway master plan, Namibia State-owned freight utility TransNamib is engaging with the Development Bank of Southern Africa on the viability of the plan. During the SARA Rail Conference hosted last week, CEO and SARA Vice President Johny […]
Kenya wants to renegotiate a multibillion-dollar loan from China that was used to build a major railway because though the country is up to date on its payments, it cannot continue with the current 20-year schedule. Answering questions from a parliamentary committee, Kenya’s incoming transport minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, said the country will have to ask […]
Egypt is negotiating with five international financial institutions funding for planned Aswan-Toshka railway project linking the Arab republic to neighboring Sudan, reports say. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Islamic Development Bank, Arab Finance reports citing Al Mal. The media did not disclose the […]