A 753-kilometre electric railway was built to carry a landlocked nation’s trade to the sea. Eight years on, much of that trade still goes by road.
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Beyond the freight line: Kenya’s commuter rail revival rides in the SGR’s shadow
The SGR was sold on cargo. The harder transport problem – moving Nairobi’s commuters – runs on a separate, older network now being rebuilt with different money toward 100,000 riders a day.
Mombasa-Nairobi SGR: a US$3.6bn corridor reset that still has to pay for itself
The SGR cut Mombasa-to-Kampala cargo time from 18 days to three. It also handed Kenya its largest-ever loan, equal to about 6% of GDP, and a railway that has run at an operating loss.
Roads, Rails and Wires: China’s African Build-Out and the Bill That Follows
China reports nearly 100,000 km of roads and over 10,000 km of railways built across Africa. Kenya’s flagship line shows why the build matters – and why the repayment terms matter as much.
Africa CDC’s New Home: A US$80 Million Headquarters and a Lesson in Health Sovereignty
China built Africa’s disease-control headquarters in Addis Ababa after a US retreat. The pandemic-born institution now houses its laboratories in a donated building.
A Gift in Glass and Concrete: The AU Headquarters and the Politics of Being Built
China funded the African Union’s US$200 million home in Addis Ababa. Its 99.9-metre tower honours African unity – and raises a question about who builds the continent’s institutions.
35th trade ministerial across SADC: built-market implications — for regional operators
A corridor is only as fast as its slowest border post, and SADC's most heavily trafficked trade route, the North-South Corridor linking South Africa through Zimbabwe and Botswana to Zambia and onward markets, still runs through border posts that were not, as of...
Local Government Bets on Renewable Power and Agribusiness
Letlhakeng District Council plans solar farms, a commercial farming cluster and a modern bus-rank centre – a bid to build its own revenue base rather than wait on transfers.
Boots on the Fence Line: Ikageng Workers Redeploy to FMD Zones
The Local Government Ministry has redeployed Ikageng workers to help control foot-and-mouth disease in affected zones, turning an existing labour programme toward an animal-health front.