TANZANIA-ANGOLA RAIL LINK IN THE OFFING

Author: BERNARD LUGONGO
AfricaPress-Tanzania: ANGOLA, a former Portuguese colony which won independence in 1975, intends to establish a railway from its city of Lobito to Dar es Salaam to link the two major ports for reducing time and cost of transporting goods and services.

Currently, the largest part of goods transportation takes place by land, where certain patches present difficulties to the users due to the bad state of roads, especially during the rainy season.

“Linking the two cities, the railway will create numerous direct and indirect job opportunities on both sides,” Angola’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Sandro De Oliveira, said in a speech on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam.

He was addressing Tanzanian businesspeople and investors during an event to mark his country’s 45^th Independence Anniversary,

The envoy used the opportunity to explain about trade and investment opportunities available in Angola that Tanzanian investors and traders could take advantage of.

He said the referred railway corridor will connect the important ports of Lobito and of Dar es Salaam, allowing the transit of goods from and to markets in America, Asia and Europe that utilise the Atlantic and Indian Oceans respectively.

The envisaged railway from Angola would pass through Zambia to Tanzania.

Ambassador Oliveira said in order to have the railway link with Tanzania the Angolan government would construct a new railway into Zambia that would further link to the 1,860 km Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA).

The works would be to standardise its railway that would come from Lobito to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia, by building a railway with same standard with that in Zambia and Tanzania.

“The Republic of Angola is ready to carry out at least two experimental trips as soon as the logistical and institutional conditions are created, for which, we count on Tanzania’s collaboration in this effort,” said Ambassador Oliveira.

He also revealed that his government is working towards the creation of a Tanzania-Angola Business Forum, whose first edition would take place in Dar es Salaam in May next year.

Elaborating, the Counselor of Business Affairs at the Embassy, Mr Ngueza Mauricio, said trade between the two countries was important because it would open new markets and investment areas for business classes and was ideal for good prospects for corporate income and profits.

Acting Director for Africa in the Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Co-operation, Mr Makamba Dahari said Tanzania and Angola were friends since the era of the independence struggle.

“Tanzania was among the first countries to open an embassy in Angola. The two nations have strong diplomatic relations but needed more exploitation of trade and investment opportunities,” Mr Dahari stated.

However, the two countries have already signed a number of bilateral trade agreements; one of it was signed in 1991.

As Angola was marking its 46th Independence Anniversary, the country was remembering the brave warriors that sacrificed themselves for the national liberation struggle, and mainly praised the name and the works of their President Antonio Agostinho Neto, founder of the Angolan nation.

“Similarly, we pay homage to the people and the government of the United Republic of Tanzania, which under the leadership of the great Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, selflessly gave fundamental and varied support to the Angolan people,” Ambassador Oliveira noted.