During the last ministerial tripartite meeting, bringing together Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo on the “Uvinza – Gitega – Bujumbura – Uvira – Kindu standard gauge electrified railway project” held on Saturday August 20, 2022 in Kinshasa. Several resolutions were adopted during the sitting. It’s on these resolutions that the Executive Secretary of the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency, CCTTFA, made a point of informing the press.
It is in a relaxed atmosphere that Senior Counsel Flory Okandju Okonge, the Executive Secretary of the CCTTFA answered questions from the press in Kinshasa.
What entails your presence in Kinshasa?
Executive Secretary: The particularity of my presence is the fact that we are tending towards the culmination of a long but fruitful process. We attended the signing of an agreement to finance feasibility studies for the construction project of the standard gauge electric railway which will go from Tanzania to Kindu via Burundi. After this Council of Ministers we have a signed document of the aforementioned financing.
What is the next step after obtaining this agreement?
Executive Secretary : it should be recalled that at the meeting held at the Rotana hotel in Kinshasa early this year, the ministers finalized the call for applications for companies that could carry out this project. We have already pre-selected 5 companies and the ministers have instructed us to notify them. They were shortlisted after a stiff and competitive selection. Once notified, they will fill out forms and will submit their technical and financial proposals which will be evaluated by the member states. At the end of this evaluation, the company that wins the tender will lead the Burundi-DRC section of the feasibility studies.
Could you tell us more about the signed agreement?
Executive Secretary : the agreement specifies the methods of financing by each member State. After a feasibility study, the DRC and Burundi will ask the AfDB to finance the project. We are getting closer with each passing day towards the materialization of this project.
What will be proposed in the request to the AfDB and when will the financing be granted?
Executive Secretary : The request specifies the amount to cover the expenses related to the project. It is set at over $10,000,000. The real total cost will be known after the preliminary studies which will be made by engineers as well as consultants. The latter will have the task of telling the states if the project is SMART. They will be advisers to the states for the materialization of the project. The feasibility studies will take 18 months according to the estimates of the states and the Executive Secretariat but it would be even better if it could take less time.
Parting shot, the Executive Secretary, Senior Counsel Flory Okandju Okonge had this to say:
We are among those who firmly believe that this project will change a lot of things for Burundians and Congolese. The project will create jobs, electricity production will be improved. How many tons of cements, iron bars will be used? From Burundi to Kindu it is more than 1000 km, imagine the impact of the project for the inhabitants along the route. There will be technology transfer. In short, in reality, this project will bring more than we envision. It is up to Congolese and Burundians to position themselves. We should already be thinking about where we are going to build the cement factories, the increase in electricity production, the helmets to be made for the workers, etc.
Counsel Flory Okandju | Exe Sec CCTTFA
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