Zambia, Tanzania, and China Sign Agreement to Revitalize TAZARA Railway
President Hakainde Hichilema has signed a historic agreement with his Tanzanian and Chinese counterparts to revitalize the TAZARA railway, a crucial step in boosting Zambia’s copper exports via Tanzania. This upgrade is expected to increase mining revenue and create jobs throughout the supply chain.
The agreement was formalized during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, marking the most significant upgrade to the railway since its initial construction in the 1970s, a joint effort by Chinese Premier Mao Zedong and Zambia’s founding President Kenneth Kaunda.
The TAZARA line connects Zambia’s Copperbelt mines with Tanzania’s main port, Dar Es Salaam. Enhancing the railway’s capacity and speed will facilitate increased copper exports to China, the world’s largest consumer of the metal.
This revitalization effort complements the US and EU-backed Lobito Corridor, which links Zambia to the port of Lobito on Angola’s Atlantic coast.
The US has also announced plans to extend this corridor to Tanzania, further enhancing Zambia’s export infrastructure.
Global copper demand is projected to grow by 2 million tonnes by 2030. President Hichilema has set ambitious goals to expand Zambia’s copper production to 3 million tonnes over the next decade, positioning the country to benefit from the global shift towards electrification and green energy.
Earlier this year, China’s ambassador to Zambia presented a proposal to invest over $1 billion in revitalizing TAZARA and operating it commercially.
The deal signed this week concludes those negotiations, paving the way for the much-needed upgrade.
“These are the people who originally built the line,” said Bruno Ching’andu, CEO of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, in a recent interview with Bloomberg. “They’ve sent several teams to inspect the bridges and all the infrastructure along the line. They know exactly what’s needed.”
