Humanitarian groups, led by Amnesty International, are protesting Ghana’s planned eviction of hundreds of thousands of slum dwellers occupying land along a 24-kilometer section of a planned, nearly $7-billion, 1,224-km railway line. Illustration by ENR The nearly $7-billion Ghana railway project, funded as part of a $10.4-billion, 20-year concessionary loan from China's Export/Import Bank, will include construction from the nation's capital in Accra to the northernmost terminal in Paga. The protests are further delaying the China-backed initiative, initially slated to commence this past April.“We urge the Government of Ghana to suspend the eviction of people from their homes until the
Ethiopia has awarded Italy’s Salini Costruttori a $4.8-billion contract for the construction of Africa’s biggest dam on the Nile, in Ethiopia, despite stiff opposition to the project from both Egypt and Sudan. Image courtesy Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation The Grand Millenium dam will be 145 meters high and 1,800 meters long, with powerhouses on either side of the spillway. Related Links: China Inks Deal for Kariba Dam Upgrade Opposition could make financing the project difficult, officials say.The 5,250-MW-capacity hydropower dam, the Grand Millennium, has raised tension between Ethiopia and Egypt, with Egypt claiming the project will have a negative impact
Construction of the first-ever railway line in the oil-producing African nation of Chad is set to start next year. The former French colony signed a $7-billion contract with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. in mid-March. Map: Justin Reynolds The new, 1,344-km-long rail line will link landlocked Chad to Cameroon and Sudan. The new, 1,344-kilometer-long railway will link landlocked Chad to its neighbor to the west, Cameroon, and its neighbor to the east, Sudan. The route is expected to facilitate access to the international markets. CCECC President Yuan Li told reporters in N'Djamena during the signing of the construction deal
Construction of the first-ever railway line in the oil-producing African nation of Chad is set to start next year. The former French colony signed a $7-billion contract with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. in mid-March. The new, 1,344-kilometer-long railway will link landlocked Chad to its neighbor to the west, Cameroon, and its neighbor to the east, Sudan. The route is expected to facilitate access to the international markets.CCECC President Yuan Li told reporters in N'Djamena during the signing of the construction deal that the project will be undertaken in two phases.To be completed in four years, the first phase
Construction is poised to start in July on Uganda’s first-ever toll road. China is financing the $350-million project, which will be built under a public-private partnership for highway transportation management. Photo: Courtesy UNRA The current road to Entebbe Airport has heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Map: Justin Reynolds The new toll road will connect the city of Kampala with the Entebbe International Airport. The 54-km highway, which will link the capital city of Kampala to the Entebbe International Airport, is set to start in July with financing from the Export-Import Bank of China. Construction is pending approval by the Ugandan
Kenyan roads officials say plans for the first toll road in sub-Saharan Africa to be built under a public-private partnership have “collapsed” after the prime financier’s “integrity concerns” about a concession partner have led it to back out of the deal, although the challenged partner, the Austrian construction firm of Strabag SE, denies the plan is dead. Slide Show A consortium plan to design, construct and operate six segments of a 77-kilometer toll road as well as a 29-km southern bypass under a 30-year concession apparently has “collapsed.” Franklin Bett, the Kenyan roads minister, said in a press conference on
The construction start of a $100-million bridge to link three countries in southern Africa to a major road and rail transport corridor connecting with northern Africa, a project that was set to commence in January, now is rescheduled for the end of 2011 after one sponsoring country pulled out of the plan. + Image Map: Walter Konefal Site for planned bridge between Zambia and Botswana is near the disputed border with Zimbabwe. The bridge would link regions in the north to a north-south transportation corridor that connects to the port of Durban, South Africa. The Kazungula Bridge was planned by
Uganda is preparing to start construction of two multibillion-dollar projects on the Nile River, despite complaints by Egypt that one of the projects will reduce Egypt’s share of the river’s water. Further, Egypt claims that a colonial-era treaty gives it the power to veto the project. Map: Shem Oirere And Walter Konefal, ENR A toll bridge at Jinja will improve a major transport link across Africa, but a planned hydropower plant at Karuma is running into strong objections from Egypt. The news regarding construction of the $1.2-billion Karuma hydropower project and a $125-million bridge comes eight months after the May
The $6-billion Shire-Zambezi waterway project in southern Africa is in jeopardy because two sponsoring countries are at odds. Map: Walter Konefor for ENR Project would provide transport path between Indian Ocean ad interior. Landlocked Malawi and Mozambique, two of three countries (the other is Zambia) that signed a memorandum of understanding to construct a 238-kilometer waterway project, disagree about a comprehensive study on the impact of the multibillion-dollar plan to construct an inland free port at Nsanje in southern Malawi and link it to the Indian Ocean port of Chinde in Mozambique. Economists estimate the improved waterway would save the
The proposed construction of a controversial 53-kilometer tarmac road through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park may be delayed by government orders for a new environmental impact assessment. Photo: Courtesy of Wikipedia Conservations say that a paved road through the wildebeest migration path would be a “disaster.” The proposed stretch of road—designed to link eastern and western Tanzania—would cross migration routes of some two million wildebeests, attracting worldwide criticism as local and international conservation groups are pressuring the Tanzanian government to re-route the project. Pushing a road through the park, they argue, would expose wildlife to speeding vehicles and attract commercial development