Chinese and foreign people believe that the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway has greatly promoted the prosperity of the Horn of Africa

The celebration of the fifth anniversary of the operation of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway contracted by Chinese enterprises was held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, a few days ago. The people from China, Ethiopia and Djibouti who attended the event believed that the service and profit level of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway was continuously improving, which greatly promoted the economic development of the Horn of Africa region including Ethiopia and Djibouti, and made a significant contribution to the regional integration of East Africa.

Ethiopia's Finance Minister Ahmed Sid said in a speech that in the past five years, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway has made remarkable achievements in operation, maintenance and capacity building, which has become a typical example of the vigorous development of Africa-China relations. The Africa-China partnership has withstood the test of time and will usher in a brighter future.

Hassan Humed Ibrahim, Minister of Infrastructure and Equipment of Djibouti, said that the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is an important facility to promote economic, social and cultural progress, and is conducive to promoting peace, ethnic integration, cultural exchange and tourism development in the Horn of Africa.

Zhao Zhiyuan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, delivered a speech saying that the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is a road of peace, development and prosperity. With the efforts of all parties, the Addis Ababa Djibouti Railway has become a model of China Africa cooperation and a microcosm of the "the Belt and Road" initiative. China will continue to support the safe and sustainable development of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway.

Liu Weimin, Chairman of China Civil Engineering Group Co., Ltd., said that as the construction and operation party of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, the company would accelerate the promotion of local railway operation and maintenance personnel training and technology transfer cooperation, and impart China's advanced railway operation and maintenance skills to local partners.

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is jointly constructed and operated by China Railway Second Bureau and China Civil Engineering Group Co., Ltd., which are subordinate to China Railway. It connects Ethiopia and Djibouti. It is the first transnational electrified railway in Africa, with a total length of 752.7 kilometers.