China pledges to finance the Congo-Océan Railway Maintenance and Reconstruction Project

Project narrative

On December 19, 2013, according to Xinhua, the China Railway Construction Corporation International (CRCCI) and the Congolese Ministry of Transport signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to rehabilitate the Congo-Océan Railway. CRCCI agreed to carry out technical and financial feasibility studies for the project and then help Congo seek funding from Chinese institutions. In March 2019, experts from Jinzhou Company and China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) 16th Bureau started inspecting the site, and the feasibility study lasted for 4 months. On August 9, 2019, the closing ceremony of the feasibility study report review and the signing ceremony of the Congo (Brazzaville) Ocean Railway Maintenance and Reconstruction Project was held. Dong Liang, deputy general manager of CREC, and Gudu Ndujak, a consultant for the Congo Ministry of Transport, signed the feasibility report review report. According to the media report "La banque chinoise Exim Bank financera 42 projets au Congo", the EXIM Bank of China was in discussion with the Democratic Republic of Congo on financing possibly 42 projects, including the Congo-Océan Railway Maintenance and Reconstruction Project in 2016. However, it is unclear whether a financial agreement was signed eventually. The Congo-Océan Railway, originally built in 1934, is 500 km long and links Pointe-Noire on the Atlantic Ocean to the capital Brazzaville. The rehabilitation project would be divided into two sections: from Brazzaville to Pointe-Noire, and from Mbinda to Mont Belo. The renovation project will be implemented in two phases: the renovation of the railway and infrastructure and the modernization of the railway network and heavy rail.