Ethiopia gets first Metro System of Sub-Saharan Africa

Last month, Ethiopia inaugurated the first metro system in Sub-Saharan Africa, taking the first step to solve the continent-wide problem of inner-city transport in its fast-growing capital of Addis Ababa. Commuting in large African cities today is a largely inconvenient experience. Most states in Sub-Saharan Africa lack an institutionalized public transportation system. Workers of middle and lower classes are forced to find alternative methods, mostly private-owned minivans that determine rates based on distance and demand, to make their way to work every day.

“It’s really exciting,” said Behailu Sintayehu, the Manager of the Light Rail Project as he emphasized that looking back to 3 years ago, he did not think the project would have yet reached completion. Sintayehu also added that his organization, Ethiopian Railways Corporation, is in a rush to open more lines.

The metro system in Addis Ababa, a city of 4 million, was inaugurated on September 21st and the single open line runs 17km (11 miles) from industrial areas in the south of the capital to the city center. A second line that runs east to west across the city is still under construction. The railway system is powered by independent sources of hydropower, namely several water dams that are spread throughout the country. At full capacity, both lines will be able to transport up to 60,000 individuals at a current cost of $0.27 per passenger.

The project, which was funded by a Chinese loan that paid 85% of the $475 M, was constructed in just three years with substantial foreign assistance. For the next five years, the Shenzhen Metro Group and the China Railway Engineering Corporation will manage the project.

Other cities across the continent are yet to have a rail system. In Africa’s most populated urban center, Lagos (Nigeria), plans to construct a light rail metro system have been delayed for several years, despite commitments by the World Bank to assist in the development of the project. Other big cities such as Nairobi, in Kenya, have chosen to focus investment on improving road infrastructure instead.

China's Involvement

Taking a closer look at this technological triumph for Ethiopia, the pattern of Chinese involvement and financing in infrastructure development across the African continent persists. According to le Point, Chinese corporations are designing the construction of a railway project to connect Addis Ababa to Djibouti. Not surprisingly, this investment is economically beneficial for the Chinese government since it will connect Ethiopia, a landlocked country and one China’s largest partner in the region, to the sea. This will facilitate commercial business between the Asian dragon and an east-African economy that posts annual GDP growth of 10% per year.