Rwanda will on December 08, host an inter-ministerial meeting for ministers in charge of transport for countries that share the Isaka Railway line to discuss a report on expansion of this rail line with other stakeholders.

Minister of Infrastructure Eng. Linda Bihire told Business Times in an interview on Tuesday that the ministers will also present the findings to investors for future development and implementation of the project.

The ministers will also identify the role of development partners in the project.

The three countries sharing the project include Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi while the influence zone include Uganda, Kenya and DR Congo.

The three countries had earlier talked about how to raise equity, source for concessional loans and how to manage the railway line.

The second study that aimed at coming up with the cost and the necessary investment required for the construction and upgrading of the Dar -es –Salaam study was conducted by US Trade and Development Agency(USTDA).

When completed, it is projected that the Isaka-Kigali 450km railway line and the 198km Burundi link will enable the development and exploitation of un-tapped natural resources in the region.

According to Eng.Bihire, the project is also expected to reduce regional transport costs and create more direct and indirect jobs.

It is highly anticipated that once the railway project is completed, most importers and exporters will shift from Mombasa port to Dar-es-Salaam because it is 1,600 km, slightly shorter distance as compared to the Mombasa Port which is 1700 Km from Kigali.

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