China has proved its commitment to Africa over the years when it comes to infrastructure. Across the continent, Chinese companies are building up Africa.
In East Africa, the Standard Gauge Railway project is one of the most ambitious – aiming to eventually link up the entire region. It’s been nearly a year since the Standard Gauge Railways started operating in Kenya, linking Mombasa with the capital city Nairobi and almost 1 million people have taken the train. The Chinese-built Kenya’s largest ever infrastructure project reduced the traveling time between the two cities from 12 hours to just four hours. Meanwhile in China, another kind of rail revolution is underway – the high-speed railway which is part of the country’s economic strategy. ''With the gradual development and improvement of China's high-speed railway network, the introduction of these railways will become more and more prevalent in other countries,'' said Wang Chuanlin, general manager of China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co Ltd. Wang's company built the Yaji railways – Africa’s first electrified railway connecting Ethiopia and Djibouti – which was launched in 2016 and reduces the travel time to 12 hours from three days.
