ZIMBABWE RAIL
Zimbabwean government authorities will be attending the summit to discuss the current state of the country’s railway system
Photo by: Reuters
Regional and international stakeholders for East and Central Africa’s transport infrastructure sector will be gathering once again at the seventh East & Central Africa Roads & Rail Infrastructure Summit 2016 (Roads & Rail 2016) to be held on September 27 and 28 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
This summit will bring together government authorities, railway operators, highways authorities, major end-users and international investors to discuss the current pipeline of projects in the two regions, mobilise investment in this sector, identify bankable projects, promote public–private partnerships (PPP), fast-track key enabling frameworks, and evaluate the latest technical expertise and technologies critical to supporting the booming economies in this rapidly developing corner of Africa.
Roads & Rail 2016 will provide fresh updates on the major infrastructure projects in the East and Central African region, including the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway project, the Dar es Salaam-Isaka-Kigali/ Keza-Musongati Railway project, the Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor project, and the latest developments on other major projects in the East African Rail Corridor and Central Corridor Tanzania.
Industry experts will also share their insights on investment risks, bankability, PPPs, supply and demand outlook of raw materials, plus important technical issues, such as maintenance, planning, procurement, security and the use of the latest technologies to ensure a seamless transport network.
The two-day event will also showcase on-site exhibitions, including the latest technological innovations from control and communications experts 4Tel, roadmarking specialists Hofmann and electromechanical providers Actom.
“With the resurgence of interest in modernising rail operations across Africa, the 4Tel team is looking forward to sharing its lessons and successes from the Australian NSW Country Regional Network and how they could be applied in Central and East Africa. 4Tel has been able to increase safety and efficiency of remote train operations by 75%, and reduce maintenance costs by over 90%. We are looking forward to discussing these strategies in Roads & Rail 2016,” says 4Tel Africa operations GM Andrie Stewart.
Germany-based Hofmann has been working for almost 70 years on the world market manufacturing automated roadmarking technology.
“It could be said that we make the line. For decades, we have striven to improve road safety around the world with our products, techniques and innovations driven by a highly motivated team. “Our particular concern has been to promote possible improvements with regard to road safety, and, ultimately, the protection of human life. One focus of our participation in the Roads & Rail 2016 is to implement successfully, more and more, our trendsetting developments relating to traffic safety in the countries throughout the African continent,” adds Hofmann sales and marketing director Torsten Pape.
The seventh Roads & Rail 2016 is proudly endorsed by the Tanzania Ministry of Transport and supported by the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative.
According to World Bank estimates, Africa needs to spend $38-billion more each year on infrastructure plus a further $37-billion on operations and maintenance just to sustain its current level of development, notes conference organiser Magenta Global Singapore CEO Maggie Tan.
“The operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of East and Central Africa’s transport infrastructure is, therefore, a top priority. This summit will facilitate the exchange of fresh information, present new projects, hear from case studies and engage industry stakeholders on viable project models for sustainable development of the transport infrastructure in East and Central Africa,” she says, encouraging all companies and organisations to contribute to the development of this sector by being part of Roads & Rail 2016.
The Roads & Rail 2016 summit will be held at the Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania.