By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Uganda is considering linking a new railway line it is building to another also under construction in the neighbouring Tanzania, a government document shows, a development seen as strategic toward opening a new export route for minerals such as gold, copper and iron ore.
Uganda, which currently ships bulk of its commodities exports through the Kenyan port of Mombasa had earlier announced plans to link its Standard Gauge Railway project to one being constructed in Kenya.
Before now, connecting the railway to Tanzania’s network and its port of Dar es Salaam was not part of the Uganda’s plans.
The Ugandan Ministry of Works and Transport document said the railway would run from the border with Tanzania through the south and southwest of Uganda, ending at the town of Mpondwe on the border with Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the document, “The main objective of the project is to connect the vast and mineral-rich regions of both countries (Uganda and Tanzania) to the port of Dar es Salaam … whilst saving time and transportation costs.”
African Development Bank (AfDB) could fund the project and Democratic Republic of Congo could seek to link to it later, the document stated further.
Reuters quoted AfDB as saying that it was considering a request to fund “preparation activities” for the rail project.
“The bank may consider financing the project, depending on the outcomes of the studies, if the project is found to be bankable,” bank official Epifanio Carvalho de Melo told Reuters.
