While the Ghanaian president recently inaugurated 100 kms of standard gauge railway from Tema to Mpakadan and introduced two mid-speed trains in the country, his Ugandan counterpart was simultaneously commissioning the construction of a 272 km standard gauge railway to be built from Malaba, a border town with Kenya to Kampala the Capital City in Uganda. This Ugandan project forms part of the broader 1,724 km East African Standard Gauge Railway network, stretching from the port of Mombasa on Kenya’s eastern coast of Mombasa to landlocked Kampala, Uganda, a country that heavily relies on Mombasa for its imports and exports.
Similar railway projects have been previously launched in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other African nations on a small or medium scale, many of which have been constructed with significant support from China. However, despite these developments, it has taken 120 years since the first colonial railways were built — railways that served mainly to exploit African resources rather than facilitate trade between African nations. More than 60 years after independence, the continent has just recognized that railway transport remains the most efficient land-based mode for moving goods over long distances, yet commitment to this sector remains insufficient and sickly. The negligible lengths of standard gauge railway in Africa stands as testament to this slow progress.
In stark contrast, China now boasts over 46,000 km of standard gauge high-speed railway and plans to expand this network to 50,000 km by 2025. Africa lags far behind and must catch up quickly. According to the African Development Bank’s 2024 Africa Economic Outlook, at the current pace of development, the continent may take more than 100 years to catch up with the rest of the world—a forecast that assumes the rest of the world remains stagnant, which is clearly not the case.
Although the AfDB report stops short of naming the root causes of Africa’s railway shortcomings, it is clear that the continent’s current leadership has failed to prioritize rapid, meaningful infrastructure development. A new system of governance is required to address this challenge head-on and drive Africa’s transformation.
The African Continental Unity Party (ACUP) offers a bold alternative. Through its *Rapid Africa Transformation Master Plan (RATMP), the ACUP presents a solution that empowers the African diaspora, private sector, and the masses. By breaking away from a complacent and negligent leadership and unshackling the continent from its unprogressive past, the ACUP aims to construct *20,000 km of standard gauge railway over the next 20 years, as outlined in its African Railway Triangle Network Master Plan (ARTNMP).
This ambitious plan will not only link the African continent more effectively but also lay the foundation for a comprehensive communications network, with fiber optic cables installed alongside the railway lines. This initiative represents a crucial opportunity for Africa to revolutionize its infrastructure, build a unified continental transport network, and pave the way for a brighter economic future.
Kwame Gonza
ACUP Rotating Chairperson
kwamegonza@africanacup.org
www.africanacup.org
