The IAEA team concluded a nine-day mission to review the preparations for a research reactor programme at the invitation of the Kenyan Government. The team reviewed the status of nuclear infrastructure development in accordance with the Phase 1 criteria and conditions of the IAEA's Milestones Approach for research reactors.

Some countries embarking on a nuclear power programme, including Kenya, are pursuing the development of their first research reactor, which can serve as a stepping stone towards their future nuclear power programme. Kenya plans to commission its first research reactor between 2030 and 2034.

The INIR-RR review team comprised two experts from India and the USA, and six IAEA staff members. Recommendations and suggestions were provided by the IAEA team for the further development of the nuclear infrastructure for the new research reactor programme.

“Kenya has demonstrated a sustained and very professional approach to the development of its research reactor programme,” said mission leader Andrey Sitnikov, Technical Lead of the IAEA Research Reactor Section. “We noted that before making the final decision, Kenya did a great job of developing and preparing laws and regulatory documents, actively involving interested stakeholders in the programme, and developing human resources of both the future operator and the regulator.”

Kenya’s Nuclear Power & Energy Agency (NuPEA) is coordinating implementation of the Kenya Nuclear Research Reactor (KNRR) project, based on the IAEA Milestone Approach, which includes a sequential three-phase development of 19 infrastructure issues. The completion of work at each phase marks a milestone and forms the basis of evaluation and decision-making on progression to the next phase.

NuPEA says implementation of the KNRR project will play a key role in the realisation of Kenya’s development agenda. The insights gained from the INIR-RR review will propel the Kenya towards achieving its goals of harnessing the potential of nuclear energy safely and responsibly, NuPEA noted.

Kenya became an IAEA member in 1965. It began considering nuclear power in 2010, and an IAEA Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission visited in 2015. The Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) was set up in 2014 and in 2019, KNEB became the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA). Also in 2019, Kenya enacted the Nuclear Regulatory Act, established the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA), In 2021 another INIR mission said Kenya has made progress in implementing the recommendations made earlier.

In December, nuclear experts held an eight-day meeting in Nairobi, to discuss ways of promoting research in nuclear technology. The nuclear research reactor forum brought together more than 100 nuclear regulators, research agencies and scholars from Africa to review ways of using nuclear science and technology to help tackle major challenges including climate change, energy security and health challenges.

In his opening remarks, IAEA Deputy Director General Mikhail Chudakov noted that there are more than 200 nuclear research reactors that are instrumental in material testing, production of radioisotopes for medicine and industry operating in 53 countries around the world. “In Africa, several countries plan to implement national nuclear research reactors programmes to improve their health care, industrial and agricultural productivity,” he said.

NuPEA Acting CEO Justus Wabuyabo said Kenya is implementing the nuclear research reactor project guided by the IAEA. “The main utilisations envisaged for the nuclear research reactors include enhancing national research and development capabilities, improving and encouraging industrial competitiveness, enhancing material structure study for various applications,” he added.

According to NuPEA, the facility, which will be set up at the Konza Technopolis where 65 acres of land have been set aside. It will be deployed for various applications, including training, education, research, health, agriculture and industry as well as isotope production.

The research reactor will be set up separately from the planned nuclear power plant, which is being developed separately, also guided by IAEA and is expected to be operational in 2034.

“The research reactor is envisaged to be in operation by the end of 2030. The implementation of the nuclear reactor research project will play a key role in the realisation of the Vision 2030 goals. Such reactors have many applications in education and training, health, industry and energy and research," said Wabuyabo.

“It will be the heart of the nuclear research centre, which is envisioned to be a centre of education and training as well as technical support to the broad nuclear power programme.” He noted that Kenya had undertaken a feasibility study for the research reactor project. Which had confirmed Konza to be an ideal site.

Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director for the Division for Africa at the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation, noted that the research reactor would support Kenya’s drive to achieve universal health coverage. “Kenya has plans to have at least one radiotherapy centre in every county. The research reactor will play a pivotal role in terms of production of radioisotopes,” he said, adding it would be key for capacity building among the youth interested in nuclear science.

Ministry of Energy administration secretary Wycliffe Ogallo described the research reactor as a game changer that would usher in a new era for different sectors in the country. “The project will accelerate economic development and improve the quality of life through the application of nuclear energy technology in scientific research, industry and healthcare as outlined under the bottom-up economic agenda,” he said.

Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), controlled by the federal government, is said to be the  most reliable, dependable and most transparent in the power sector value chain. The reason is not far-fetched; it has been responsible for mainstreaming power infrastructure development. 

Just last December, TCN announced that about 53 Transmission projects will be completed and commissioned in May 2024. The projects entail the delivery of eight 150MVA power transformers, 19 1000MVA transformers, 60MVA transformers, reconductoring existing transmission lines (conductors and accessories), upgrading of the existing 132/33KV substations, and construction of 33KV line bays. 

Spread across the six geo-political zones of the country, the projects are aimed at ensuring steady and regular supply of electricity, which at its completion,  additional 1,000 megawatts of power will be transmitted.

The Managing Director TCN, Sule Abdulaziz had at major power conferences and dialogue re-assured Nigerians of increase power supply, saying the ongoing projects were funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN with a loan of N122 BIllion in its continuous power intervention programme aimed at ending the power sector menace. 

He said TCN loyalty and accountability is to the federal government and consumers of electricity, in pursuance with its core mandate in the electricity value chain which consist of Generation, Transmission and Distribution.

In a chat with a major power sector player, Anthony Uchendu, he said TCN has sustained a veritable record of performance in-spite of regular vandalism of its power installations across the country, describing the organisation as the most effective and most transparent in the power sector value chain.

According to Uchendu, the 53 ongoing contracts were visited by the media in last year drawing officials from the Central Bank of Nigeria, officials from the Ministry of Power and the Transmission Company of Nigeria TCN to sensitise consumers of electricity of the efforts made by government to address the challenges in the power sector. 

Earlier, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, mentioned that even though the country has handed over the responsibility of generating and distributing power to private entities, the part that handles transmitting electricity is still managed by the government.

However, this area hasn’t seen enough progress mainly because the infrastructure, such as substations, transformers, and power lines, are getting old and aren’t strong enough. 

Adelabu promised that the government would focus on reorganising and improving this infrastructure. The aim is to ensure that all Nigerians experience better and more reliable electricity supply across the country. 

Moreover, the Abuja Transmission Scheme when completed  would add 1,380mva transformer capacity, equivalent to 624 megawatts (mw), to the grid. It is confirmed that the TCN had received, with the assistance of the federal government, a credit from Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) to reinforce the high-voltage transmission ring around Abuja. TCN is adding additional two 330/132/34KV substations and additional three 132/33KV substations in the FCT.

The increase in transmission capacity would improve power supply within Abuja and its environs, as well as positively impact the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.

The  Abuja feeding scheme is one of the projects under the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP) designed to tackle issues of transmission nationwide, and in specific locations.

Under the TREP project, the TCN had been able to commission several transmission substations and installed over 30 power transformers across the country, and also achieved a frequency control within 49.8-50.2 in the last one year.

It is of note that the 132 kilovolt Dawaki Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) near Gwarinpa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which is one of the projects, has been completed.

The project is just one of the five already  substations under the AFD-funded Abuja Feeding Scheme, comprising a 330kv substation, four 132kv substations, and their transmission lines, as well as a 330kv transmission line from Lafia to Abuja.

The project site assessment exercise by the AFD team was part of its first mission aimed at monitoring and providing timely intervention that would ensure a timely actualisation of the projects. However, various presidential power initiatives have given support to and aided the competence of the Transmission Company of Nigeria which translates to the remarkable improvement in the supply of power.

Recall that at the end of 2023, the Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu had announced the unbundling of the Transmission Company of Nigeria TCN under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Electricity Turn Around Agenda (ETA).

According to the minister, the plan will lead to efficiency and enhance delivery. However, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) through its president, Joe  Ajaero differ in thoughts. The congress has insisted that  TCN be allowed to function as entity without any interference or division if the needed power sector reforms must be achieved. 

Ajaero told newsmen that the further divisions anticipated will rather slow down the infrastructure development agenda of TCN, lamenting that 10 years after privatisation of the sector, no meaningful impact has been made to increase generation and distribution of electricity. 

He therefore called on government to strengthen the capacity and funding  of TCN to ensure that obsolete transmission lines and outdated power installations are replaced to enhance increase in the supply of electricity. 

A ministry official had said earlier that the TCN is synonymous to power sector development, saying allegations of corrupt practices against it is intended to disrepute the Managing Director, Sule Abdulaziz and create tension to actualise the polarisation of the agency. 

According to him, government has looked the other way in a contract sum of N39 Billion paid in full to a contractor in the Ministry of Power for the supply and installation of meters to military formations, Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs in 2017 and up untill now not a single meter has been supplied. 

The official further alleged that the N39 Billion has yielded over N20 Billion  in interest and proceeds shared between ministry officials, the contractor and a new generation bank. 

He said the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu had intervened in the matter and ordered the release of the funds to a contractor under a consortium agreement to commence the project  but the company had remained adamant. 

He advised government to go after the two principal actors to ensure the commencement of the project and as well be prosecuted for money laundering, rather than waste energy in fighting heads of agencies when contractors and commercial banks are conniving with government officials to defraud and loot the treasury. 

Similarly, in November last year, the Chairman House Committee on Finance at the National Assembly, Hon. James Falake, had summoned the contractor and Ministry of Power officials to appear before its committee to offer explanation to why N39 Billion of federal government funds was stashed in the bank without utilisation. 

Notwithstanding all these hiccups, the Transmission Company of Nigeria is bent on living up to its responsibility of transmitting and mainstreaming power to the betterment of society. 

Quote 

Even though the country has handed over the responsibility of generating and distributing power to private entities, the part that handles transmitting electricity is still managed by the government… government would focus on reorganising and improving this infrastructure. The aim is to ensure that all Nigerians experience better and more reliable electricity supply across the country

The distinguished panel, featuring H.E. Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, and Mr. Christopher Kost, Africa Programme Director of the International Transport Development & Policy (ITDP) Africa office, was moderated by Lucie Anderton, UIC Head of Sustainable Development. The panel discussion also featured high-level speakers from the European Commission, Abdou Ndéné Sall, Director General of SEN-TER, and Hon. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa).

In her opening speech, the Commissioner underscored the urgency for policymakers and transport stakeholders to prioritise actions that advance railway and urban transportation projects in Africa. She outlined three crucial phases: planning, construction, and operation.

Planning Phase: Emphasising the need to maximise mobility with a low carbon footprint, Dr. Abou Zeid called for the integration of rail transportation into urban land use plans and designs, thereby reducing reliance on fossil fuel-dependent transports.

Construction Phase: Dr. Abou Zeid urged the maximisation of local and low-carbon construction materials, advocating for rail routing that minimises complex structures like bridges and viaducts.

Operation Phase: The Commissioner called for the liberalisation of the rail market to avoid bottlenecks and proposed setting performance standards for emissions per passenger-kilometre or freight ton-kilometre.

The event’s key outputs highlighted the social, economic, and environmental benefits of transitioning towards rail transportation in Africa. The shift aims to decouple prosperity growth from transport emissions, but the continent faces a substantial infrastructure and finance gap. According to Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, AU Commissioner for Energy and Infrastructure, “This side event provides an opportunity to reflect on this and frame an interdependence of gender equity, climate change, and transport. Integrating both gender dimension and decarbonising transport goals are likely to yield quicker and more effective results than addressing them separately”.

Notable findings included:

• 23 out of 53 African Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) acknowledge rail as a climate solution.
• Eight African countries, including Burkina Faso, Rep. of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan, identified clear finance needs for rail development.
• To attract climate finance, measures to de-risk and make borrowing affordable for Africa are imperative.
• A political vision, as demonstrated by Senegal, plays a crucial role in building confidence and attracting finance for transformational projects like SENTER and the BRT.
• Successful projects require a multi-modal and network connectivity approach.
• Women’s empowerment is essential for their meaningful participation in the transformation of mobility.
• Strengthening global collaboration and partnerships is critical to staying focused on policy actions.

As the event concluded, emphasising the urgency of concerted efforts to bridge the infrastructure gap and secure funding, exciting developments on the African rail front came to light. The African Development Bank, recognising the pivotal role of rail in sustainable development, recently approved an impressive $696.41 million in financing for Burundi and Tanzania. This substantial investment is earmarked for the construction of 650 kilometres of rail infrastructure in the region. The move not only underscores the commitment of key stakeholders but also sets the stage for transformative rail projects that will undoubtedly contribute to the region’s sustainable and climate-friendly transportation future.

The EastAfrican has learnt Spanish firm Imathia Construction has completed replacing steel sleepers with concrete beams on the Namanve-Kampala section of the line, which is expected to be handed over this month, Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) publicist John Lenon Sengendo said, adding that the contractor will then embark on the final section, Namanve-Mukono.

This will be the second section of the track to be completed after rehabilitation of the Tororo-Namanve line, including the line to Jinja Pier, which was completed a year ago.

While the Malaba-Namanve metre gauge track is now in fair condition, importers, exporters, and shippers remain sceptical about switching to rail, citing a shortage of rolling stock and inefficiency, which has resulted in 90 percent of traffic on the Northern Corridor being carried by road and only about seven percent is carried by rail because of the poor state of rail infrastructure.

Read: Grand $15bn plan to expand Kenya SGR to Kisumu, Malaba

As a result, transport costs are comparatively high on the Northern Corridor, ranging from 20 cents to 25 cents per tonne per kilometre for road transport, while the cost for rail transport ranges from US cents 6 to US cent 12 per tonne per kilometre, depending on the type of cargo.

The shortage of rolling stock is partly blamed on URC. A June 2022 Uganda’s Auditor General after reviewing URC’s asset register, had 521 wagons located in different parts of Kenya.

But only 128 wagons exit, leaving a balance of 393 wagons unaccounted for, raising fears of a possibility of URC overstating its asset values in the financial statements.

“URC accounting officer explained that there were many wagons left in Kenya by RVR (U) Ltd upon concession termination. A repatriation exercise to return these assets to Uganda commenced in July 2021 and by December 2021, a total of 243 wagons had been brought back.”

Under this project, Uganda is to buy 3,000 horsepower locomotives by 2026.

The number of Uganda government-owned wagon ferries is also expected to increase from the current two to four, a development set to help URC meet the growing traffic demand on Lake Victoria.

Read: Uganda plans to go it alone, build 2,700km-long SGR

The other financiers are the African Development Bank, which will provide $233.2 million, and the African Development Fund to provide $100.7 million – both concessional loans to finance the construction and purchase of rolling stock, which includes locomotives, wagons and coaches.

URC’s target is to move cargo from road to rail, and we expect to be moving six million tonnes a year.

In its efforts to revamp the metre gauge railway, Uganda is also reviving the route from Tororo in Eastern Uganda to Gulu City in the north. The line is currently under construction. Significantly, the city also hosts the Gulu Logistics Hub, whose phase one is also under construction, and projected to be complete in March 2022. The hub – which will be rail-linked – was planned as a strategic location connecting to the growing markets of Congo and South Sudan.

On Wednesday 10 January, just days before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament opens, (2023 AFCON), the Ivorian Prime Minister, Robert Beugré Mambé, opened Abidjan’s fourth bridge, the “Y4” bypass, and the urban highways of Civil Prison and Dabou respectively, all built with funding from the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) – to traffic.

An enthusiastic crowd joined several members of the government, heads of institutions, Bank Group executives and representatives of participating private sector construction firms for the opening of the bridge and roads. The roadworks are expected to ease traffic congestion in Côte d’Ivoire’s six-million-strong financial capital, known for being among the most gridlocked cities in Africa.

“On behalf of the President of the Republic, we declare Abidjan’s fourth bridge open to traffic,” said Prime Minister Beugré Mambé, alongside the President of the National Assembly, Adama Bictogo, and the President of the Senate, Kandia Camara. “We ask just one thing of motorists, and that is caution, because the work is not yet complete.”

The prime minister stressed that the new infrastructure would give Abidjan the status of a modern city.

In the immediate term, the infrastructure will facilitate the movement of the tens of thousands of African football fans that have already begun arriving in Abidjan for AFCON2023 matches; Côte d’Ivoire is hosting the tournament from 13 January to 11 February. The bridges were built as part of the Abidjan Urban Transport Project (PTUA), which is, in turn, a component of the Master Plan for the Urban Transportation of Greater Abidjan.

Nearly 1.4 kilometres in length, the fourth bridge spans Banco Bay – an arm of the Ebrié Lagoon – to link Plateau and Adjamé municipalities and Yopougon via Attécoubé. With two million inhabitants, Yopougon is the country’s most densely populated municipality and a major industrial centre, while Adjamé and Plateau are the country’s main administrative and commercial hubs.

The fourth bridge will expedite the movement of goods between the south of the city, where the port and Vridi industrial estate are located, and the west and north, where new industrial estates have been springing up rapidly, according to the country’s Minister of Equipment and Road Maintenance, Amédé Koffi Kouakou. The bridge, which features 24 tollbooths, is also a preferred transit route between Abidjan’s port and international corridors serving the landlocked nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which use the port to gain access to the ocean.

Close to 70,000 vehicles will use the bridge each day, the connected access roads for which will make daily travel easier for hundreds of thousands of Abidjan residents and help relieve congestion on existing roads. With a cost of €160 million, the bridge took 65 months, around five and a half years, to build.

“These roads will help to ease traffic congestion in Abidjan,” Minister Kouakou said. “It used to take residents of Yopougon two hours to travel from Plateau. Now it will take them five to 10 minutes to get home. The time saved will be invaluable!”

The African Development Bank provided around €600 million for the project and attracted other donors such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Global Environment Facility, which contributed €103 million and €6.4 million, respectively.

“This project involves infrastructure, the environment, social issues and a number of other aspects,” remarked Jean-Noël Ilboudo, division manager of the Bank’s transport infrastructure division for West Africa. “It is fully in line with the Bank’s five operational priorities.”

Pointing out that 3,000 women will benefit from income-generating activities, he added: “All of this infrastructure will make traffic flow more smoothly, improve living conditions for the residents of Abidjan and reduce traffic accidents.”

The Ivorian Prime Minister also inaugurated several trunk roads. They include the western exit, which provides access to the corridor leading to San-Pédro, the country’s second-largest port; the eastern exit, leading to Ghana and Burkina Faso; a roadway extending Boulevard Latrille, the main urban thoroughfare that links the city’s east and west; and the city’s northern bypass, known as “Y4”.  Located on the eastern side of the city, the latter roads ease traffic toward the town of Bingerville. A tunnel was also opened in Abobo, a densely populated municipality north of Abidjan.

Koffi Emmanuel, a labourer working on the construction site of the fourth bridge, expressed pride in being able to help transform Abidjan’s image: “We’ve been building this bridge since 2018,” he said. “We’re content with this initial small ceremony, because we know that the grand official opening is not far off now. I’m really happy because I know that my friends, my children and my grandchildren will cross this bridge, which now connects all of Abidjan, and because it shows that Côte d’Ivoire is opening up to the entire world.”

Road user Lassina Demé, who lives in Yopougon, indicated satisfaction in being able to cross the new bridge. “Before, it was difficult to cross here; it was quite scary,” he said from astride his motorbike. “Now we can cross without any problem. It used to take 20 minutes to cross this bridge, and now it takes just two.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Media contact:
Romaric Ollo Hien
Communication and External Relations Department
media@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 44 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

ROME: Supporting African development and tackling the dangers posed by artificial intelligence (AI) will be two key themes for Italy during its one-year presidency of the Group of Seven, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday.

Speaking at a wide-ranging news conference, Meloni added that Italy would maintain its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia and warned that a further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East could have “unimaginable consequences”.

Italy took over the rotating presidency of the G7, which includes the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Italy, at the start of January.

It will host numerous ministerial meetings throughout the year, including a leaders’ summit in June.

However, Meloni said she wanted to hold a special session before June focused on AI. “I am hugely concerned about the impact (of AI) on the labour market,” she told the news conference to mark the end of the year, held over from last month when she was unwell.

“Today we are faced with a revolution where (human) intellect is in danger of being replaced.”

She told reporters that supporting African development would also be a central theme of her G7, saying it was vital to boost local economies and living standards to dissuade would-be migrants from heading to Europe.

“What I think needs to be done in Africa is not charity. What needs to be done in Africa is to build cooperation and serious strategic relationships as equals not predators.

What needs to be done in Africa is to defend the right not to have to emigrate … and this is done with investments and a strategy.“

War on the agenda

Among other issues likely to dominate Italy’s presidency is the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Meloni spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy late on Thursday in her first call to an international leader as G7 president, her office said.

Italy PM Meloni takes ‘full responsibility’ for bank tax

On the Gaza conflict, Meloni called on Israel to avoid civilian casualties and said that a more permanent solution needed to be found for the Palestinian issue.

“I believe…it’s an error to say ‘First let’s destroy Hamas and then we’ll talk about it’,” Meloni said.

“One of the best ways of calling the bluff of Hamas, which has no interest in the Palestinian cause, is to work for a structural solution of the Palestinian question,” she added, saying the European Union should play a more prominent role in diplomatic initiatives.

Meloni, who took power in October 2022 as Italy’s first woman prime minister, said she believed that the West should continue to supply arms and material support to Kyiv.

“The only way to reach any kind of diplomatic solution in Ukraine, any kind of negotiation, is to maintain the balance between forces on the ground.”

Élise Pacot

The distinguished panel, featuring H.E. Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, and Mr. Christopher Kost, Africa Programme Director of the International Transport Development & Policy (ITDP) Africa office, was moderated by Lucie Anderton, UIC Head of Sustainable Development. The panel discussion also featured high-level speakers from the European Commission, Abdou Ndéné Sall, Director General of SEN-TER, and Hon. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa).

In her opening speech, the Commissioner underscored the urgency for policymakers and transport stakeholders to prioritise actions that advance railway and urban transportation projects in Africa. She outlined three crucial phases: planning, construction, and operation.

Planning Phase: Emphasising the need to maximise mobility with a low carbon footprint, Dr. Abou Zeid called for the integration of rail transportation into urban land use plans and designs, thereby reducing reliance on fossil fuel-dependent transports.

Construction Phase: Dr. Abou Zeid urged the maximisation of local and low-carbon construction materials, advocating for rail routing that minimises complex structures like bridges and viaducts.

Operation Phase: The Commissioner called for the liberalisation of the rail market to avoid bottlenecks and proposed setting performance standards for emissions per passenger-kilometre or freight ton-kilometre.

The event’s key outputs highlighted the social, economic, and environmental benefits of transitioning towards rail transportation in Africa. The shift aims to decouple prosperity growth from transport emissions, but the continent faces a substantial infrastructure and finance gap. According to Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, AU Commissioner for Energy and Infrastructure, “This side event provides an opportunity to reflect on this and frame an interdependence of gender equity, climate change, and transport. Integrating both gender dimension and decarbonising transport goals are likely to yield quicker and more effective results than addressing them separately”.

Notable findings included:

• 23 out of 53 African Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) acknowledge rail as a climate solution.
• Eight African countries, including Burkina Faso, Rep. of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan, identified clear finance needs for rail development.
• To attract climate finance, measures to de-risk and make borrowing affordable for Africa are imperative.
• A political vision, as demonstrated by Senegal, plays a crucial role in building confidence and attracting finance for transformational projects like SENTER and the BRT.
• Successful projects require a multi-modal and network connectivity approach.
• Women’s empowerment is essential for their meaningful participation in the transformation of mobility.
• Strengthening global collaboration and partnerships is critical to staying focused on policy actions.

As the event concluded, emphasising the urgency of concerted efforts to bridge the infrastructure gap and secure funding, exciting developments on the African rail front came to light. The African Development Bank, recognising the pivotal role of rail in sustainable development, recently approved an impressive $696.41 million in financing for Burundi and Tanzania. This substantial investment is earmarked for the construction of 650 kilometres of rail infrastructure in the region. The move not only underscores the commitment of key stakeholders but also sets the stage for transformative rail projects that will undoubtedly contribute to the region’s sustainable and climate-friendly transportation future.