Page 13 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 26
P. 13
Economy
increased employment, with are aware of Al Boraq, African Continental Free
SGR delivering 30,176 direct Morocco’s truly high speed Trade Agreement will be
and 150,388 indirect jobs, train that travels at maximum just a talk show. Currently
earning a total of 358.74bn/- speed 357 km/hr and we have less than 5% inter-
, and drivers are among the operational speed of 320km/ African trade volume within
beneficiaries. hr between Casablanca and the continent. If we want to
Tangiers over 300km in boost inter-African trade, we
Tanzania’s SGR uses distance and operated by need to boost connectivity.
electric locomotives and ONCF, Moroccan Railway Connectivity in terms of trade,
has the capacity to transport Company. There are also rail is the most adequate one.
passengers and cargo proposed plans for an under- Unfortunately what we notice
shipments at 160 kilometres sea tunnel to connect Africa at the AU Development
per hour. to Europe which would make Agency (AUDA) the current
possible Rabat, Morocco – rail networks are not built
The issue of high speed Madrid in 6 hrs and Rabat for inter-African trade. They
was addressed at the recent -Paris in 10hrs, indicating are built for the extraction
Rail Summit in Addis and the real beauty of high speed of resources. So we need to
as Ibrah Wahabu, AUDA- railways. have a deliberate approach
NEPAD Senior Programme where we shift the focus to
Officer for Infrastructure and Ibra Wahabu explained make rail infrastructure that
Connectivity, explained in an that AUDA-NEPAD are in works for trade, make rail
interview with Philippa Dean future going to emphasize infrastructure that works
of Railways Africa Magazine, rail as the backbones of for people movement, and
the AU has decided to economic corridors. This make it work for business
downgrade expectations concept is very much in line opportunities.”
of speed. The AIHSRN with China`s BRI Belt and
will be renamed as the Road Initiative. It is already He said that the significance
African Integrated Railways the Egyptian model for of integrated economic
Network.. In order to achieve economic development first corridors was going to be
high speed, electrification proposed by President El Sisi revolutionary, a paradigm
is required. Diesel engines in 2014 which is seeing the shift for infrastructure
cannot achieve high speed. construction of a new sister development:
Africa once again is set back city for Cairo, the completed
by its shocking energy deficit, construction of the New Suez “We believe the integrated
a fact that re-enforces the call Canal and the backbone of corridor approach is giving
for more energy as electricity it all, the Al Dabaa Nuclear a new paradigm shift for
really is the backbone of the Plant under construction with infrastructure development
economy. Russian Nuclear ROSATOM. that will tackle those issues.
That said, not many people “Without infrastructure the One of the projects that
ISSUE 26 | APRIL 2024 13
