{Kenya president Uhuru Kenyatta launching the construction of the new railway line}
{{The governments of Rwanda and Uganda are working closely to procure the consultancy for the feasibility studies and fund mobilisation for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project set to run from Mombasa to Kigali through Uganda.}}
The studies will precede the preliminary designs for the railway.
Monique Mukaruliza, the national coordinator of the Tripartite Initiative, said the two countries will jointly procure consultancy services for the Kampala-Kigali section that is expected to go through Mirama Hills, Rwanda’s New Times has reported.
“Rwanda is jointly working with Uganda in the feasibility studies and fund mobilisation to ensure the project becomes a success,” Mukaruliza said.
Mukaruliza said the ministers of finance of the two countries had been directed to explore financing options.
“For the financing of the SGR project, the Summit of Heads of State directed the ministers of finance to explore financing for the project using both the African Development Bank (Africa 50) and the China Exim Bank approaches,” she said.
Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda signed an MoU with the African Development Bank/Africa50 on the financing modalities of the project in February 2014 in Kampala.
The MoU aimed at making the project bankable where parties shall work together for the development, structuring, costing, financing, construction and operation of the railway estimated to cover nearly 3000km.
The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority report released earlier this month indicated that the government of Rwanda had secured funds to finance the preliminary designs of the section from Mirama Hills to Kigali.
NV
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