Ground has quite literally been broken on a Chinese-funded project to modernise the Tanzania-Zambia railway after years of negotiations, amid intensifying “corridor wars” as major powers compete to shape transport and trade networks across not just Africa but also Eurasia and beyond.
The US$1.4 billion upgrade will restore the 1,860km railway, known as Tazara, a vital corridor linking Zambia’s Copperbelt to the Indian Ocean via Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port, connecting southern and eastern Africa. Originally financed by China in the 1970s and celebrated as a symbol of China-Africa solidarity, decades of underinvestment have left the railway underused.
At last month’s groundbreaking ceremony in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, Chinese Premier Li Qiang – the first top Chinese leader to visit the country since 2007 – emphasised Beijing’s commitment to developing a prosperity belt along the Tazara railway and fostering a new economic growth hub.
The project is expected to boost the railway’s freight capacity from around 200,000 tonnes annually to 2.4 million tonnes, and slash transit times by two-thirds. State-owned China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and its subsidiary China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) will spearhead upgrades to the tracks, bridges, tunnels and stations, construct 390km of new rail and modernise power, communications and passenger services.
As Africa’s economies grow and trade expands, there is a need for efficient, high-capacity transport networks to support intra- and inter-regional economic integration.
The benefits are clear. For Zambia – Africa’s second-largest producer of copper, which accounts for 15 per cent of its gross domestic product and over 70 per cent of its export earnings – shifting freight from road to rail could boost exports, enhance supply chain reliability and support local value-added production. Faster access to global markets, including in East Asia and the Middle East, as well as regional African markets, could also attract foreign direct investment and drive broader economic diversification efforts.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre), Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the Tazara revitalisation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on September 4, 2024. Hassan and Hichilema were in Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Photo: Xinhua
For Tanzania, the project would strengthen the country’s role as a regional logistics and maritime hub while improved rail connectivity to the Dar es Salaam port could drive investment, spurring the development of industrial and economic zones along the corridor.
For China, the project deepens engagement with two of its largest African trade partners. Sino-Zambian trade surged by 26.5 per cent to over US$6.7 billion last year. China is also Zambia’s largest official creditor and owed US$5.7 billion. Meanwhile, Sino-Tanzanian trade jumped to US$8.88 billion last year, reflecting the sustained momentum in bilateral ties. For Beijing, the cooperation secures access to significant copper, cobalt and manganese deposits – critical for the green energy transition and Chinese green technology exports.
Equally striking is the geopolitical and geoeconomic significance of Tazara’s revitalisation.
In their efforts to “de-risk” from China, Western powers and other actors have backed alternative routes such as the US-supported 1,700km Lobito Corridor connecting Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Japan, for its part, is helping to finance the Nacala Corridor linking Malawi and Zambia to Mozambique’s Port of Nacala. These corridors aim to secure and diversify mineral supply chains while challenging China’s geostrategic and economic influence.
Against this backdrop, the Tazara railway revitalisation strengthens China’s access to key minerals, enhances regional connectivity and consolidates Beijing’s economic, political and strategic influence in southern and eastern Africa. Similar to the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the project shows China’s capacity to establish alternative trade corridors, shape regional trade flows and counter Euro-Atlantic influence.
How China is reshaping its economic ties with Africa
More broadly, the project reflects deepening China-Africa economic engagement. Two-way trade is booming. Last year, it reached a record US$295.6 billion, with 35 per cent of Chinese investment in Africa concentrated in construction.
Beijing shows no sign of slowing: its recent zero-tariff pledge for African partners, together with the new China-Africa initiative announced at last month’s G20 summit, signals a commitment to further integrating African economies into China-centred supply chains and to advancing green infrastructure.
Challenges loom large. While rival connectivity projects give African leaders leverage to secure better financing and enhance strategic autonomy, they also demand a careful balancing of relations with global powers alongside domestic issues.
There are other concerns too. Large-scale infrastructure projects often disproportionately benefit political and business elites at the expense of local communities. Meanwhile, weak regulatory oversight – exacerbated by factors like inconsistent safety and labour standards, limited institutional capacity, corruption and political instability – magnifies these risks. Environmental hazards are particularly acute. Zambian farmers recently filed an US$80 billion lawsuit against two Chinese mining companies over a major toxic acid spill.
Image from a video on February 19 shows a breach at a tailing dam at a Sino-Metals Leach Zambia mine near Kitwe in Zambia. Photo: AP
Local authorities need robust monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with environmental and safety standards, protecting communities and ecosystems along the corridor. Technical and logistical hurdles – such as weak cross-border coordination and inconsistent operational protocols – could create bottlenecks that limit the railway’s efficiency. Overcoming these challenges will require coordinated planning among all key stakeholders to ensure the corridor can achieve its full economic potential.
Local authorities have undertaken some measures in response. For instance, the Dar es Salaam port – which handles 95 per cent of Tanzania’s international trade and recorded 27.7 million tonnes of cargo last year – is undergoing a multimodal upgrade to improve trade efficiency and better integrate with the railway network.
The revitalisation of the Tazara railway reflects China’s continued interest in Africa. While the benefits are expected to be immense, success is far from assured. There must be careful management of challenges and risks.
