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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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Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
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Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

The election of a new president in Lebanon does not mean the country has come out of the economic and political crises which have gutted it for years. Yet Thursday’s vote marks the beginning of a new phase that carries many challenges for the president and the upcoming government.

It is Joseph Aoun’s responsibility now to appoint a prime minister following binding parliamentary consultations and then form the Cabinet together with the PM.

According to observers, Aoun’s term should carry a roadmap to salvage the country, and a clear plan to address crises and domestic and foreign challenges.

However, there is no magic wand to solve Lebanon’s entire crises.

Instead, Aoun needs a unified working team that should draft a clear ministerial statement that reflects the President’s inaugural speech and his pledge of a “new era” for Lebanon.

“The president's speech constitutes a detailed program for governance. However, his program needs a cabinet capable of implementing it,” former Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Najjar described the new President as an honest, clean and courageous Lebanese man.

“His election must be followed by the formation of a bold cabinet with new faces, capable of working and making achievements,” he said.

“The Lebanese people expect President Aoun to change the quota-based mentality of politicians. They hope his term will help remove old political figures, who are rooted in the Lebanese quagmire,” the former minister noted.

Former MP Fares Souaid told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun’s first task is to implement the Constitution and the National Accord document.

“In the early 1990s, the Constitution was no longer being implemented due to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2005, the Constitution was again ignored because of Iranian arms.”

Therefore, Soueid said, the Lebanese eagerly expect this new era to constitute a real opportunity for the implementation of both documents.

For years, Lebanon has failed to properly implement its Constitution and UN resolutions, mainly because some political parties had considered their implementation as “a target against their so-called resistance.”

“With the election of President Joseph Aoun, Lebanon has opened a blank page that could meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people, and write a new chapter in the country’s history,” Najjar said.

According to Soueid, Aoun has a task to return Lebanon to its Arab identity. “This is slowly beginning to show through the decline of Iranian influence in the region,” he said.

Also, Soueid said, the new President should mend Lebanon’s relations with the international community by implementing all UN resolutions.

Addressing Parliament and Lebanese people with an acceptance speech, Aoun on Thursday vowed that the Lebanese authorities will have the monopoly on arms and will be committed to a strong state that will extend its sovereignty over the entire territory.

“This is in line with UN resolutions, which if implemented, will bring Lebanon back to the Arab and international scene,” Soueid said.