Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
Published: June 11,2023
The Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya, a flagship project of China-Africa cooperation, has become a major “business card” of Chinese enterprises and a demonstrative work of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The 480-km rail line, linking the largest port in East Africa, Mombasa, to Kenya’s capital Nairobi, was built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation and officially opened to traffic in 2017.
The project has gained trust and support from the Kenyan government and people and injected vitality into the country’s socioeconomic development, with Africa Star Railway Operation Company or AfriStar, the railway operator, committed to the safe operation, stable movement of passengers and goods, and localization of the project, analysts said.
Chinese experts have been training local staff members and transferring technologies and know-how to their local counterparts since the rollout of the railway.
After years of professional training and practice, many Kenyan employees have become skilled workers, with more and more sections of the railway independently operated by Kenyan locomotive drivers since February 2022. The commitment on both sides has also strengthened ties between the Chinese instructors and their Kenyan apprentices.
According to AfriStar, while Chinese instructors will gradually conclude their work on the railway and return home, leaving local jobs to their Kenyan trainees, the friendships forged will continue to yield rich results.
Cavince Adhere, a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa relations, said Belt and Road projects in the transportation, communication and financial sectors have contributed to making Kenya a more formidable economic hub in the East African region.
He said use for the railway has increased significantly, with many cargo companies opting for the link because it is reliable and faster for moving goods from Mombasa to Nairobi, especially for hinterland companies.
chinadaily.com.cn
