China has signed a $1.4bn agreement with Zambia and Tanzania to overhaul the ageing Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) line, a key export route for the region’s copper. Zambia’s government confirmed the deal on Monday, highlighting Beijing’s deepening role in African infrastructure.
Comprehensive rail overhaul
The three-nation pact will fund extensive rehabilitation of the 50-year-old railway and purchase new locomotives, passenger coaches and freight wagons. Officials said the upgrades aim to restore the corridor’s full capacity, enabling more efficient transport of copper and cobalt from Zambia’s mineral-rich Copperbelt to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam.
Strategic timing amid rival projects
This agreement follows an initial memorandum signed last year between China and the two African nations to revive TAZARA. The move comes as the United States supports the rival Lobito Corridor, a transport route linking Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Atlantic Ocean through the Angolan port of Lobito. The American-backed corridor is pitched as an alternative path for African minerals bound for global markets.
Bypassing South African bottlenecks
Analysts note that a modernised TAZARA provides a strategic alternative to southern routes through South Africa, where persistent logistics and port delays have disrupted copper and cobalt exports. The refurbished line is expected to ease those supply chain challenges, cutting transit times and costs.
Historical ties strengthened
Built in the 1970s with Chinese financing and engineering support, the TAZARA railway has long symbolised China’s infrastructure partnership with Africa. This latest deal underscores Beijing’s continuing influence in African transport networks and its interest in securing vital raw materials.
Economic boost expected
Zambian officials said the investment will create jobs during the construction phase and stimulate cross-border trade once the line is operational. Tanzania’s transport ministry welcomed the agreement, calling it a catalyst for regional economic growth and improved connectivity.
