The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has expressed strong commitment to joining the multi-billion Standard Gauge Railway-SGR project, a statement attributed to President Joseph Kabila indicated.In the statement seen by APA on Monday, President Kabila said a leap forward has been taken to that effect with a proposal already before the DRC parliament for ratification.
Kabila’s position was made know in a speech on his behalf by Jean Pierre Massala, the Charge d’Affaires of the DRC to Uganda at the 13th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit-NCIP in Kampala over the weekend.
The project will see the construction of a modern, high-capacity railway system stretching from the Port of Mombasa in Kenya, through Nairobi to Kampala-Uganda, Kigali-Rwanda and Juba-South Sudan.
The four East African countries agreed to use a uniform standard specification although each country will construct its sections.
DRC first hinted on the possibility of joining the SGR project during the 11th summit held in Nairobi, Kenya.
Sections of the Ugandan stretch of the SGR line from Pakwach will go through Goli Customs in Nebbi District and Vurra Customs in Arua District.
Both customs are vital entry points into northeastern DRC.
Kabila said his country has already made an international call for feasibility studies on the SGR and expressed optimism that by the end of May the company to conduct the study would be selected.
He assured the Summit that the DRC is interested in the initiative which aims at developing the whole region.
The SGR project is costing billions of dollars and is expected to not only interconnect the Northern Corridor partner states but also reduce the cost of doing business.
The Northern Corridor Integration Projects is an initiative to, among other things, reduce the cost of doing business and improve infrastructure in countries that use Mombasa Port and the so-called northern route or corridor.
The signed up member states are landlocked countries Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan and Kenya.
At the Kampala meeting, the DRC attended as an observer, as well as Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Source: Star Africa

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