Corporation, EDR Join Hands to Develop Ethiopia’s Railway sector

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) and Ethio-Djibouti Railways (EDR), a share company, agreed to work together in several areas that aim to develop the railway sector in the country.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Ethio-Djibouti Railways’ CEO Abdi Zenebe and deputy CEO of ERC Getu Gizaw on Friday.

The agreement aims to pave a way for the two sides to work together in three areas – railway sector development, resource management, and commercial collaboration.

At the signing ceremony, the chief of EDR Abdi said the agreement will allow the two to collaborate in the development of the railway sector to support the economic growth of Ethiopia.

The CEO stressed that the agreement will allow them to mobilize resources to resolve challenges in the sector.

Ethiopia and Djibouti established the EDR in 2017 with the purpose of Operating and Maintaining the Addis Ababa – Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway Line.

The company started its work the next year, playing a major role in boosting the trading link between Ethiopia and Djibouti.

The newly signed MoU will enable us to utilize EDR’s experience as a significant input during the implementation of similar projects aiming at regional integration, said Getu Gizaw, deputy CEO of the Railways Corporation.

Ethiopia launched its 10-year strategy for the transport sector in 2021 with a view to establishing a reliable integrated modern and safe transport and logistics that is accessible to all and contributes to its prosperity.

Under this strategy, the government plans to increase railway coverage from 690 km to 3999 km by the end of the ten years.