Construction commences on 107km railway line in Western Namibia
The project, called A1S1, is being undertaken by China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) and involves the rehabilitation and upgrading of the railway line between Walvis Bay and Arandis on the west coast of Namibia.
Officials from Namibian Ministry of Works and Transport and CGGC launched the A1S1 project at a ground breaking ceremony on Monday, 30 November 2020.
The project is estimated to cost N$1.029 billion (about US$$72.7 million), and is expected to be completed within a period of 821 days.
A1S1 is part of the Namibian government's plan to develop the country into a transport and logistics hub. Speaking during the ground breaking ceremony, Namibia's Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, said that having good ports and good road networks will improve Namibia's competitiveness to becoming an international logistics hub as it shares borders with Angola, South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia.
The Namibian government will cover 56% of the railway’s cost, with 44% covered by a loan from the African Development Bank.
“We have now commenced A1S1 from Walvis Bay to Swakopmund. We are looking forward to making this collaboration a success and we will definitely do our best,” said CGGC representative, Li Lijie.
Photo: Railway line through the town of Luderitz, in Namibia (Johan Jönsson | Wikimedia Commons)
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