Why China is Building Africa’s Railways

Africa is in the midst of a railway renaissance, and it’s being built in large part by China.

Executive Producer and Narrator - Fred Mills
Producer - Jaden Urbi
Video Editing and Graphics - Jim Casey

Special thanks to Maria Adele Carrai and Mandira Bagwandeen. Additional footage and images courtesy of OpenRailwayMap, Kenya Railways, Ethio-Djibouti Railway, Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia, Ron4, Davidktorza, David Brossard, Digr, Florian Stickel, Hamid Al-Timami, Andrzej Kubik, Delvin Zimmerman and OpenStreetMaps.

#construction #architecture #railways

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© 2021 The B1M Limited

[audigex]

"The line doesn't bring in enough to pay the $70m operating cost" - countries really need to get over this idea that the railway itself needs to be profitable... the railway ENABLES profitability in other businesses, through movement of people and goods. Yes, the government has to put in $30m of funding each year, but if they are getting more than an extra $30m of taxes due to the extra economic activity, that's worthwhile.

[ksgrmdsdl]

As a Kenyan, I can confirm that things have changed for the better since Chinese introduced the gauge railway between Mombasa and Nairobi. I now wish that Chinese could expand the current SGR railway between to other areas beyond Nairobi into Kampala Uganda and Kigali Rwanda.

[jacobbernard]

Obviously, China isn't in the business of providing simple-charity, but I think a lot of people (particularly here in the West) fail to appreciate the enormous boost this infrastructure gives to developing regions. The debt-trap aspects are indeed disconcerting, but the economic development spurred by these projects will have an enormous impact on the nations' finances and ability to pay back loans. Africa is the fastest-developing region on Earth, and I think many underestimate just how much economic power and global influence African countries will soon have. Ultimately, someone had to be the one to bet on Africa's rise, and it just happens to be the world's largest economy (by purchasing-power) to do so. Americans resent China's soft-power over Africa, but we could have easily been the ones to develop these crucial diplomatic links with the developing countries of the world; instead, we've failed to even develop our own transportation infrastructure.

[alecwk]

The Ethiopia railway line only opened in 2018. Revenue growth from $40m in 2019, $62m in 2020, $86m in 2021. Looks like a healthy growth to me.

[gidd]

As someone from one of the countries with rail built by china (Kenya)
There's advantages and downsides of it. But in my opinion the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The rail network is now controlled by Kenyans, but we're still yet to pay off the loan

[booaks]

Not only that, china is also building railways in southeast Asia, recently a railway between china and Laos just opened

[davidgoose]

In 2002 when Kenya first adopted the look east policy, kenyas economy was just under $12b dollars, grown by only $2b by from 1964, on the back of Chinese infrastructure projects and investment, after meaningless 50 year engagement with western trading partners, now over 20 years later, the Kenyan economy is $106b, in the next 30, 1trillion dollars by estimate, GDP per capita has quadripled, 15 million pulled out of poverty, country transitioned from low income
To middle income, HDI grown from 0.4 low to 0.6 medum. In 20 years, electricity connections from under 10% to 85%. Kenya now leads the world in mobile money technology, geothermal energy, and East africa remains among the world fastest growing region. The average Kenyan doesn’t care whether the railway comes from China or America whatever, but people are happy their kids aren’t dying due to lack of hospitals, that they now have power, can take an engineering or artificial intelligence course in newly built universities in their hometown like anywhere in the world. Be blind if you want to, but the only way western countries can beat China in Africa is by outinvesting it.

[rts]

I took the Chinese-built train in Kenya and it was great. It made traveling between Nairobi and Mombasa a lot more feasible with my limited time.

[ghostofsolomon]

Fun fact: Tanzania Zambia Railway was built by China in Mao era. Zero interest loan of 1 billion RMB when China was poor by themselves, plus 56k Chinese workers and experts. 69 of them were buried in Tanzania for the noble course.

[jaybee]

In Nigeria, we are having China construct many railways to connect all part of the country. They also have to hire Nigerians, so there can be skill transfer. We are also reviving our steel plant which is the largest in Africa but have not been functioning to it full capacity due to government neglect.
I don’t like when people associate China and African countries relationship as colonialism because if anybody understand colonialism they will see how different things are going. Everybody wants to work with Africa because they are trying to maintain good relationship and tap into the market due to emerging middle class and young population, so Africans can dictate who they want to work with and without.

[briansosick]

Call it colonialism or debt diplomacy but as a citizen on the ground who's benefiting from the infrastructure im glad China is investing in 🇰🇪

[NoreenHoltzen]

Hats off to China for actually developing Africa, when the European and US colonialists forced far harsh loans but they didn’t didn’t actually develop the country (and in many senses tried to prohibit development) but just guaranteed trade routes to extract profit, and interfering with politics. China have a policy of trying to avoid political interference, and on top of that they are actually making Africa gradually more advanced which will benefit the public.

[theq]

if you don't like it then don't take it, nobody is forcing, there's contract, it's all written, if you failed to pay what's gonna happen the railway gonna be owned by China, they agree to do this. it's like loaning money from bank, if you failed to pay it back then your home gonna get taken away by the bank, simple. what's so hard to understand? the west like to criticize on the debt trap, is it debt trap if it's known? bank loaning money is debt trap then? if you're so worried why don't you provide better alternative to the countries in Africa? offers better project? why can't you? if what China offers is not good enough then what should we say about the offers from countries in the west? IMF interest for the loan is higher than what China offers but you rarely hear anything about it.

[boyangliu]

If some countries can devote 1% of the energy from blaming China everyday to think about how to help African countries and implement them, I think Africa could develop much faster.

[yitezeng]

Many people have stated it clearly, for any infostructure project, if you just look at it alone, highly likely it is loosing money. However, you need to consider them as a public good which can bring other business. You need to think about the big picture rather than the bill in front of your eyes. Besides, China has done knowledge transfers to the locals as well by training local engineers and stuffs to operate, maintain, and build this kind of railway. It is a huge intangible asset.

[Biobele]

Some people would rather sell weapons to our military dictatorships than help us finance roads, rail hospitals and houses.
When someone else decided to help they make a fuss about it. SMH
As long as they take adequate loans and face critical projects that can help develop the economies of the various countries even faster then I'm sure they'll be able to pay back.

[aliasahmood]

it's ok for US to supprt war in Africa
But it's not ok for china to build a Railways in Africa

[allcontent]

Kenya's economy, as the gateway to East and Central Africa was barely growing before China. Once Kenya welcomed China, all other EAC members have been attracting both Asian and white investors. Kenya is not "relying solely" on China for development as you've out it. Both Britain and America have heavy investments in Kenya from finance to military. The French are also getting good deals in Kenya (Nairobi Railway City & Nakuru - Mau Summit highway). I wonder why the skepticism when it comes to China. A win for Kenya & Ethiopia is a win for everyone in Eastern Africa and even western Europe.

[gemstonesparkle]

I hope China can do the same in Brazil, I'd really appreciate a railway crossing the coast from north to south, first.

[abdulrehman]

Railway is the coolest form of transport.