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$1.2 Million to Study Feasibility of Railway Between Sudan, Ethiopia

$1.2 Million to Study Feasibility of Railway Between Sudan, Ethiopia
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$1.2 Million to Study Feasibility of Railway Between Sudan, Ethiopia

$1.2 Million to Study Feasibility of Railway Between Sudan, Ethiopia

The African Development Bank (ADB) board of directors has approved a $1.2 million grant for the Ethiopian government to fund a feasibility study for building a railway between Ethiopia and Sudan. The cost of the project is estimated at $9 billion.

In a statement, the ADB said the grant would cover 35% of the total study cost estimated at $3.4 million. The remaining financing will be provided by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD‐IPPF), in the form of a grant of two million dollars, and a contribution of 100,000 dollars from each of the two countries.

The two-year comprehensive study will assess the technical, economic, environmental, and social feasibility of the proposed project, as well as alternative financing arrangements, including partnerships between the public and private sectors.

In 2017, Sudan announced its agreement with Ethiopia to build railways linking Addis Ababa to Port Sudan on the Red Sea to facilitate the movement of Ethiopian exports and imports. The construction of the railway is expected to take up to four and a half years, according to estimates by government officials.

The proposed project comes in line with the African Bank’s 2016-2020 Ethiopia Strategy Paper and with the long-term development goals of the Sudanese government as outlined in the 25-year national strategy (2007-2031). It also aligns with the 10-year African Development Bank strategy (2013-2022) and the operational priority for infrastructure development.

The project will also fulfill four of the ADB’s high strategic priorities, including Integrate Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of the Continent.

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ICRC to Expand Syria Humanitarian Efforts beyond $100 Mln Program

A logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
A logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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ICRC to Expand Syria Humanitarian Efforts beyond $100 Mln Program

A logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
A logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plans to expand its work in Syria significantly beyond an initial $100 million program, the organization's president said on Monday, citing pressing needs in the health, water and power sectors.
Syria requires $4.07 billion in aid this year, but only 33.1% has been funded, leaving a $2.73 billion gap, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The ICRC's expected expansion follows new access to all regions of the country after the toppling of president Bashar al-Assad last month.
"Our program originally for this year for Syria was $100 million, but we are likely to expand that significantly," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric told Reuters on the sidelines of a visit to the country.
She said individual donor countries had already come forward with an increase in funding for Syria.
ICRC was one of the few international organizations still operating in Syria under Assad's rule, working on infrastructure projects including water and electricity systems.
"We need to expand that work, we have a lot to do in the health sector," she added.
The organization is engaged in rehabilitation work to sustain water provision at 40% to 50% of what it was before the war, but protection of water facilities remains important as some are close to places where fighting is still under way.
"There are facilities next to the Euphrates Lake that are specific to the protection requirement at the moment," she said.
Initial assessments to begin immediate rehabilitation of Syria’s electricity systems are partly complete, but urgent financial investments and adjustments to sanctions are now required, she added.
"Certain spare parts need to be allowed to come in because that is also hampering the rehabilitation work at the moment. So there's a political dimension to it," she said.
Earlier, people briefed on the matter told Reuters that the US is set to announce an easing of restrictions on providing humanitarian aid and other basic services such as electricity to Syria while maintaining its strict sanctions regime.
On Sunday, Syria's new rulers said US sanctions were an obstacle to the country's rapid recovery and urged Washington to lift them, during a visit by Syrian officials to Qatar.