African Development Bank gives over Sh100m for Ethiopia-Sudan railway study

The African Development Bank’s Board of Directors has approved over Sh100 million grant to Ethiopia’s government to finance a feasibility study for the construction of a standard-gauge railway (SGR) link between Ethiopia and neighbouring Sudan.

The grant, from the African Development Fund, the Bank Group's concessional-rate lending arm, would cover 35 per cent of the total estimated $3.4 million cost of the study. The remaining funding will be provided by the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF) in the form of a $2-million grant and by a contribution of $100,000 each from the two countries involved. The financing was approved in January.