ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, Abou-Zeid Amani, affirmed on Friday the pan African block's commitment to the promotion of railway revival in the continent through its Vision 2040.
Amani, while addressing the media on the sidelines of the 30th AU assembly of heads of state and government at its headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, said that "the development of railway network is one of AU's flagship projects."
Calling for the effective implementation of AU's Vision 2040 for Railway Revitalization in Africa that was adopted by the AU member states in June 2014, he indicated that Africa's ambition in the railway sector is "a total railway industry development."
According to Amani, the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network (AIHSRN) project was conceived from the Vision 2040 for Railway Revitalization in Africa as a flagship project of AU's Agenda 2063.
The AIHSRN is a comprehensive undertaking that includes components on capacity building including strengthening of railway training institutions and centers of excellence as well as a railway manufacturing industries and maintenance facilities, according to Amani.
"Hundreds of thousands of job opportunities are also expected to be generated through the gradual implementation of this massive project," Amani said.
According to Amani, construction of each 600 km of the high-speed railway is estimated to generate some 50,000 jobs together with the benefits in skills and technology transfer to the African professionals involved.
As African countries rally for the development of national and cross-border railway connectivity, China is presently the leading partner for Africa in the railway construction sector.
Built by Chinese companies, the 752.7 km Ethiopia-Djibouti railway linking Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa to the Red Sea nation of Djibouti, is Africa's first standard gauge electrified railway system linking capitals of the two Horn of African countries.
