MOMBASA / KIGALI — East Africa has marked a major infrastructure milestone with the inauguration of an expanded Standard-Gauge Railway network connecting key regional economic centres.
The newly completed cross-border lines link the port of Mombasa in Kenya with Uganda, Rwanda and inland commercial hubs in Tanzania.
The seven-year infrastructure project is expected to dramatically reduce freight transportation times, cutting journeys that previously took weeks to just days.
Economic analysts project that transportation costs could fall by as much as 40%, potentially benefiting manufacturers, farmers and businesses across the region.
The railway is also expected to strengthen regional trade by providing landlocked countries with improved access to international markets.
The project is being viewed as an important physical link supporting the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
