TheKaribaSouthPowerStationExtensionProjectbuiltbyaChinesecompanyinZimbabwe.HydrodamsofthisnaturearehelpingAfricancountriestostabilizetheirpowersuppliesXINHUADjiboutiislocatedontheEastAfricancoastandsharesaborderwithEthiopia.Formerlysomewhatisolated,thisHornofAfricacountrynowhasastate-of-the-artinternationalrailway,whichhasgreatlyimprovedpeople’sabilitytocommute.
BuiltbyChinaCivilEngineeringConstructionCorp.(CCECC),theAddisAbaba-DjiboutiRailwaycameintoserviceonJanuary1thisyear.ThepeopleofDjibouticannowtravelonamodernandcomfortabletraintothecityofDireDawaineastEthiopia,injustfourhours,comparedto18hoursbybusbefore.
Itisthereforenotsurprisingthatsinceitsopening,passengerandgoodstraffichasincreased.Inthefirsthalfof2018,therailwaycarriedatotalof55,000passengers,thusbecomingtheNo.1transportmodeinthecountry.
Infact,theAddisAbaba-DjiboutiRailwayisjustoneexampleofthemanyinfrastructureprojectscontributingtothewell-beingoflocalcommunitiesthroughoutAfricathatcameintobeingwiththesupportofChina.InDecember2015,attheJohannesburgSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC),Chinaannounced10majorChina-Africacooperationprojects,includingthecooperationplanintheinfrastructuresector.Withthisdecision,cooperationinthisareagainedsignificantmomentum.
Asuccessmodel
Ontheothersideofthecontinent,theKaletaDam,locatedontheKonkouréRiverinsouthwestGuineahassignificantlyimprovedthecountry’selectricitysupply.ThedamwasbuiltbyChinaInternationalWaterandElectricCorp.(CWE),andtheelectricityitgeneratesisdistributedtoConakry,thecapitalofGuinea,viafivepowersubstationsanda158-kmpowerline.InSeptember2015,theplantwasofficiallylaunched,providingelectricitytothousandsofhouseholdsinthecapital.
KaletaDamhasreceivedpraisefromtheinternationalcommunity.InJuly2017,ajointdelegationmadeupofrepresentativesoftheAfricanUnion,theAfricanDevelopmentBankandtheGermanTechnicalCooperationAgencyvisitedthedamtoassessfirsthanditsimpactonlocalpopulation.ThisjointmissionwaspartoftheProgramforInfrastructureDevelopmentinAfrica(PIDA).AccordingtoAfrica-basedpublicationLaTribuneAfrique,PIDACoordinatorSheikhDiakhatepraisedtheproject,stressingthatKaletaDamfiguredamongthe“successfulexamplesofenergyprojects”ontheAfricancontinent.
Butthisdamfacedmajorproblemsinitsconstruction.Justwhentheprojectreachedacriticalstageatthebeginningof2014,GuineawasstruckbytheEbolaepidemic.However,despitehighrisks,Chineseofficialsdecidednottoabandontheirpostsandcarriedonwiththeproject.
“Thereweremorethan1,000Chineseemployeesandmorethan2,000Africanemployeesonthesite.Ifwehadstopped,theconstructionwouldhavebeendelayedbyoneyear,whichwouldhaveresultedinhugelosses.Moreover,themostimportantthingisthatthisdelaywouldhaveharmedSino-Guineanfriendship,”saidZhangRujun,AssistantDirectorGeneralofCWE.
WiththehelpoftheChineseEmbassyinGuineaandexpertsfromtheChinesemedicalmission,noneoftheChineseorAfricanemployeeswereinfectedbythevirusduringtheproject’sconstruction.
“Employeesfrombothcountriesovercamedifficultiestogetherandfinallycompletedtheconstructionofthehydroelectricplant,whichhasstrengthenedthedeepfriendshipbetweenourtwopeoples.TheGuineanpeoplewillnotforgetthefriendswhostoodbythemindifficulttimes,”saidKannyDiallo,Guinea’sMinisterofPlanningandInternationalCooperation.
Integratingtheregion
Anotherexampleofinfrastructureprojectsimprovingpeople’slivesonthecontinentistheMombasa-NairobiStandardGaugeRailway(SGR)inKenya.Oneyearafteritscommissioning,academicsfromseveralChineseandAfricanthinktankstookpartintheChina-AfricaInfrastructureCooperationSeminarheldinNairobiinJune2018.Aspartoftheseminar,theyvisitedtheterminus,theoperationandmaintenancecenterandthecontainerwarehouseofthestandardgaugerailway.
Afterthevisit,LemmaSenbet,DirectorGeneraloftheAfricanEconomicResearchConsortiuminAfrica,statedthat“thisvisitallowedustobetterappreciatetheroleplayedbythisrailwayinregionalintegrationandknowledgetransfer.[TheMombasa-NairobiSGR]provesthatitisinAfrica’sinteresttostrengthencooperationwithChinainimprovingorbuildingnewroads,newportsandnewrailways.”
Expertsalsogavetheirfullsupporttothesecondphaseoftheproject,whichwillreachtheKenya-Ugandaborderby2021.TheprojectispartoftheNorthernCorridor,aninfrastructurepackageaimedatstrengtheningconnectivityinEastAfrica.
“[It]isagreatproject,whichhasthecapacitytopromotetheregion’seconomicintegration.ItisourresponsibilitytostrengthenourpartnershipwithChinaasweimproveournetworkofroads,portsandrailways,”saidAugustinoTingMayai,aneconomistattheUniversityofJuba,SouthSudan,addingthatsuchinfrastructureisakeystepinopeningEastAfricaandtheHornofAfricatoinvestmentandindustrialgrowth.
AtrainrunsalongthenewlybuiltAddisAbabaDjiboutiRailwaySUNRUIBOTheMombasaNairobiSGRisagreatproject,whichhasthecapacitytopromotetheregion’seconomicintegration.ItisourresponsibilitytostrengthenourpartnershipwithChinaasweimproveournetworkofroads,portsandrailways.
AugustinoTingMayaianeconomistattheUniversityofJuba,SouthSudan**Commentsto