Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti and Xu Shaoshi, Special Envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly inaugurated the Ethio-Djibouti railway today.
The project will have a significant role for the growth of Ethiopia’s manufacturing industry as well as in facilitating the country’s move to join the group of middle income countries.
It also helps address problems of logistics, which is one of the bottlenecks in the country’s import-export trade, he said.
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After 3-6 months of test run, the railway will begin regular service. The railway helps carry 3,500 tonnes of goods from Port Djibouti in a single trip once it goes fully operational.
It also reduces travel time between Addis Ababa and Djibouti from 7 days on roads to about 10 hours. It will give transport service for 2, 400 people. The Ethio-Djibouti line will create jobs for 5,000 people.
The Ethio-Djibouti railway was constructed by China Railway Group and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
Translated and posted by Amare Asrat
fanabc.com