Category: Infrastructure
Editorial: Nairobi Expressway Toll Deal With Chinese Contractor Risks Creating Another “White Elephant”
The Business Daily Editorial Board warned the government that the proposed toll road pricing scheme for the new 27km Nairobi Expressway jeopardizes the financial stability of the project and risks creating another "white elephant" like the embattled Standard Gauge Railway. The ...
The China-Mediterranean Observer: How Will a New/Old Biden Mideast Policy Impact China’s Ambitions in the Region?
The killing of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the future of American foreign policy toward the Middle East under President Biden, and the tensions between France and the Muslim world are the three key topics of recent Chinese commentaries. The ...
Ghana’s Thinking Small (And That’s a Good Thing)
The Bui Power Authority (BPA) in Ghana recently launched a new solar farm that's connected to a Chinese-built hydroelectric dam. The idea here is that when water levels run low and power generation dips, the solar farm kicks in to make up the difference. ...
China, Debt and the Future of Kenya
The investigative series Africa Uncensored broadcast a riveting one-hour documentary on Kenyan national TV last night that explored the country's ballooning national debt. The program highlighted how, as Kenya's largest bilateral creditor owning an estimated 70% (or $6.2 billion) of its ...
Nigerians Share First Impressions of The New Chinese-Built Lagos to Ibadan Railway
Passengers have had a week to try out Nigeria's brand new Chinese-built standard gauge railway that links Lagos to Ibadan. The new service is operating on a limited schedule with just two trains a day but that'll expand to 16 daily departures shortly once construction of the ...
Africa’s Newest Chinese-Financed and Constructed Railway Begins Operating in Nigeria
The newest Chinese-built railway in Africa is now officially in service following a Tweet on Monday from the office of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari that launched the new Lagos to Ibadan line. The $1.59 billion standard gauge railway was
With Chinese Loans Coming Due, Ethio-Djibouti Railway Suffers Heavy Losses Due to Theft, Vandalism
The Chinese-financed and constructed Ethiopia-Djibouti standard gauge railway is bleeding money due to rampant theft and vandalism, according to a report in the Addis Standard newspaper. The situation is now so bad, say company officials, that the trains have been forced to reduce their speed ...
Many Kenyans Surprised and Somewhat Perturbed That the Chinese Contractor Building the Nairobi Expressway is Going to Make a LOT of Money
The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a Chinese state-owned construction company, is forecast to earn almost a billion dollars in profits over the 27 years that it will operate the new Nairobi Expressway that's now under construction. Details of the ...
The Case For Kenya’s Embattled Chinese-Financed Standard Gauge Railway
Critics of Kenya's multi-billion-dollar Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) definitely have the upper hand these days as the railway sinks deeper into debt. But George Sunguh, managing editor of African Ports Review, argued today in Business Daily that the skeptics are wrong.
Passenger Traffic’s Up on Kenya’s New SGR But Will It Be Enough to Save the Embattled Railway?
Travelers are making their way back to Kenya's Standard Gauge Railways, especially the line between Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa, according to new data published by the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC). 43,235 people took the Mombasa ...
Uganda Confident It Will Secure $2 Billion China Exim Bank Loan to Build New Standard Gauge Railway
The Ugandan government is reportedly in talks with the China Exim Bank to secure a $2 billion loan to build a new Standard Gauge Railway, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. The head of Uganda Railways Corporation, Stanley ...
The Nested Tragedies of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway
Recently we've seen two new pieces of research on Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR,) which make for fascinating – if depressing – reading. They show that the project was doomed from the start by corruption and bad dealing from ...