China Eximbank pledges $1.2 billion loan for 608 km Dakar-Kidira Railway Corridor Project. (Linked to #36445)

On December 22, 2015, the China Railway Construction Corporation signed a $1,256,970,000 agreement to implement the rehabilitation of the Dakar-Kidira railway in Senegal. The financing for the project will be provided through a China Eximbank loan with an interest rate of 2% and a maturity 30 years. Whether China Eximbank has pledged to finance the project in part or in full is unknown. The Dakar-Kidira railway is a section of the Dakar-Niger Railway, which runs from Dakar, Senegal to Bamako, Mali. Originally called the ‘Chemin de fer Dakar-Niger’, the Dakar-Bamako-Koulikoro railway line connecting Dakar and Bamako through Thies, Tambacounda, Kidira, Kayes and Kita on a length of 1,288 km was built in various stages between 1885 to the 1920s. It is a metric gauge (1,000 mm) railway with low gradients and axle loads in the 15-17 tons range. The rehabilitation is planned to cover 633km of the railway, and should be completed within 4 years. Construction began in early 2016, and as of March 2020, the project was still under implementation. This project is related to #36445, which captures the Mali section of the railway.

Additional details

The Chinese project title is 达巴铁路. Some sources identify different project costs, including $1.25 billion, $1.281 billion, and $1,256,970,000.

Number of official sources

5

Number of total sources

12