The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been tipped to prioritize revamping the region’s existing railway lines and developing greenfield rail projects.
Zambia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Tayali said greenfield rail lines such as the Lobito-Benguela project would enhance connectivity and intra-trade activity.
Tayali noted that these developments would, in turn, boost seamless movement as the cost of doing business would become affordable. He stated that the routes, including those that connect to sea ports, would also provide access to the market and guarantee economies of scale.
He called upon the SADC Secretariat, the Southern African Railway Association and all the governments in the region to join efforts in ensuring that the rail sector is improved, and its operational efficiency enhanced.
Tayali was speaking at the ongoing 13th Annual International Southern African Railway Association (SARA) conference and exhibition at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg today. The conference falls under the auspices of the SADC Ministers of Transport.
“Zambia is on course to revitalize the railway system in the country, which comprises the Zambia Railways Limited and the TAZARA. It is cardinal for the nation to participate in this very important discussion on the future of railways in regional connectivity,” he said.
He highlighted some of the Zambian government’s latest achievements in that respect, the projects under development, and those intended to be achieved in Zambia and the SADC region.
Tayali also observed that as the delegates discuss the “Future of Rail in Regional Connectivity”, it is imperative that the governments in the region foster collaboration by harmonizing the differences in standards, technology, and capital investment requirements.
He advised that the region should have one agenda and one regional railway master plan that must inform how countries develop their railway systems.
Tayali said Zambia is currently implementing a 10-year National Transport Policy developed in 2019, whose vision is to have an efficient and integrated transport system in Zambia.
He explained that the vision speaks to the purposeful and deliberate intention to transform Zambia into a regional transport hub in SADC.
“Further, through this vision, the government aims to resolve the challenges that have for a long time inhibited the growth of the transport sector and maximize on the benefits that come with improved infrastructure to the Zambian people and the region at large,” he said.
He acknowledged that Zambia’s railway sector and the SADC region as a whole, have operated under very difficult and challenging circumstances that have constrained their growth.
