A significant deal to improve the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara) is about to be signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Presidents Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, and President Xi Jinping of China.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2024 Summit is scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Beijing and will include a signing ceremony.
Along with a number of other African leaders, President Hassan left Dar es Salaam on Monday to attend the high-profile three-day meeting.
The crucial infrastructure upgrades for Tazara, a vital train link connecting the two countries, are anticipated to be covered under the deal that will be inked.
As per the statement released by Ms Sharifa Nyanga, the Acting Director of Presidential Communications at the State House, President Hassan will be among the dignitaries who will be speaking at the FOCAC opening session, representing the East African area.
A wide range of subjects will be covered at the summit, such as the advancement of industry, modern agriculture, peace and security in the region, and infrastructure development.
As geopolitical tensions rise, the FOCAC summit is taking place, with China looking to fortify its strategic alliances with African countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Climate change, energy, and digital technology are anticipated to be major topics of debate, with an emphasis on closing the digital divide in Africa.
President Hassan is expected to meet with officials from Chinese enterprises to explore possible investments in Tanzania, in addition to the main summit.
Additionally, in an effort to further solidify Tanzania’s strong and long-standing connections with China—which have lasted for almost 60 years—she will conduct bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping.
Significant financial promises for manufacturing, agriculture, and infrastructure projects throughout Africa have historically resulted from FOCAC summits; it is expected that this year’s meeting would carry on that tradition.
China funded the construction of the 1,860-kilometer Tazara, which connected Tanzania’s Kapiri Mposhi region with the Port of Dar es Salaam, between 1970 and 1975, The railway line aimed to break landlocked Zambia’s economic reliance on the governments of white-minority South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
The railroad offered bulk traders from Zimbabwe’s Copperbelt the only path to the sea without passing through areas governed by white people.
