China Proposes $1 Billion Revamp of Tanzania-Zambia Railway

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As global competition intensifies for control over critical mineral trade routes, China has announced plans to invest US$1 billion to refurbish a vital railway line linking Zambia’s copper belt region with the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam under its Belt and Road Initiative.

On Wednesday, China’s ambassador to Zambia, Du Xiaohui, presented a proposal to Zambian Transport Minister Frank Tayali, outlining the US$1 billion investment plan to rehabilitate the Tazara railway. This investment will be implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP) over the coming years.

Du emphasized China’s commitment to collaborating with its “Zambian brothers and Tanzanian sisters” to enhance cooperation and bring benefits to the three countries.

“The Chinese side intends to utilize the PPP model for investing over US$1 billion in the upcoming years,” Du stated.

A team assembled in December has conducted a comprehensive business and technical assessment of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, which operates the Tazara railway. They presented their findings in a report released on Wednesday.

Minister Tayali expressed his enthusiasm about the report’s outcomes and highlighted the collaboration between Chinese experts and Zambian labor in the project.

During visits to China by the presidents of Tanzania and Zambia in 2022 and 2023 respectively, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged support for the railway’s upgrade. The railway, originally constructed in the 1970s and funded by the Chinese government under Mao Zedong as part of a foreign aid initiative, holds symbolic significance as a testament to China-Africa friendship, as noted by President Xi.