AFRICA: China Civil & Engineering and Construction Corp has sent a task force to undertake a comprehensive business and technical inspection of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, having being appointed to negotiate a potential deal for a Chinese operator to revitalise the line which was built with Chinese funding and expertise in the 1970s.
Inspections are to be carried out from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. CCECC will also assess binational operator TAZARA’s operational and business model, and draw up proposals for the future which will be submitted to the two owning governments.
This will include a business case for operations, a financing plan which would be facilitated by China Development Bank, and proposals for local taxation policies and related matters.
The 11-member task force is led by Peng Danyang, Managing Director of the Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway which operates under a public-private partnership between the governments of Ethiopia and Djibouti and CCECC subsidiary Railway Operation Ltd.
It is envisaged that the plan will be drawn up and negotiations with the national stakeholders completed by the end of April 2024.
