MUSONGATI, August 19, 2025 (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, accompanied by the Tanzanian Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa Majaliwa, laid the foundation stone on Saturday, August 16, marking the official start of construction of the modern railway linking Uvinza, Tanzania, to Musongati, Burundi.
The ceremony took place in Rubara, in the Musongati commune (Burunga province), in the presence of many dignitaries from both countries: the Burundian Prime Minister Nestor Ntahontuye, several Burundian ministers, Tanzanian officials, as well as technical and financial partners, including the African Development Bank.
In his speech, President Ndayishimiye welcomed the guests and emphasized the strategic importance of the mineral resources in the Musongati region, which holds more than 200 million tons of nickel, about 1,000 tons of iron, as well as significant quantities of platinum and other minerals. He stated that this railway project represents a major turning point in bilateral cooperation between Burundi and Tanzania.
The Burundian Head of State thanked Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan for her personal commitment to the realization of this ambitious project, recognizing that its implementation required close and persistent collaboration between the two nations.
President Ndayishimiye also praised Tanzania’s historic support for Burundi, namely during periods of conflict, hosting refugees, and supporting the independence struggle alongside President Julius Nyerere. He recalled that the idea of a railway in this region dates back to 1921 but had never come to fruition due to disagreements inherited from the colonial era. He noted that Tanzania granted a loan via the CRDB bank to financially support the project.
The president emphasized that this infrastructure will benefit not only Burundi and Tanzania but fits within a broader regional vision extending to the Democratic Republic of Congo as far as Kindu, with the prospect of a future extension towards West Africa. This ambition aims to strengthen regional economic integration and sustainable development for the three countries, he stressed.
Burundian Prime Minister Nestor Ntahontuye also welcomed this major advance. He described the project as a concrete response to the country’s economic, logistical, and infrastructural challenges. According to him, this railway will promote regional trade, reduce transport costs, create jobs, and support industrial, agricultural, and social development in Burundi.
He also highlighted that since 2005, the country has undergone a deep transformation, with transport infrastructure as a key pillar of economic growth. Official data shows that about 43,147 tons of goods transit each month by road from the port of Dar es Salaam to Burundi on often degraded roads. This generates high costs that the railway will help avoid, with estimated savings of nearly 3 million dollars per month, or 36 million per year, and more than 360 million over a decade, not including passenger transport.
On the environmental front, the prime minister emphasized the ecological benefits of the project, notably reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by heavy trucks. He also stressed the role of the railway in strengthening social and cultural ties in the region.
Other speakers, including representatives from Tanzania and the African Development Bank, praised the regional scope of the project and its strong potential to stimulate growth, mobility, and trade. Note that the construction of this railway line has been entrusted to the Chinese company China Railway Group Limited, specialized in major infrastructure projects in Africa.