But it only goes so far. Observers added that knowledge transfer remains “partial” so as not to give too much away and jeopardize future projects.
Abdi Zenabi, executive director of the Ethio-Djibouti Railway, praised the project during the handover on May 10.
βRailway is more than just lines and locomotives. It is a symbol of cooperation, friendship and shared aspirations,β he said.
He noted that the railway opened up new markets, attracted investment and created job opportunities.
According to the Ethiopia office of the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) β CCECC’s parent company β Chinese operators have trained a total of 2,840 people over the past six years, βleading to the identification of all railway occupations in operation, maintenance and safety rolling stock”.
Since commercial operations began in 2018, the rail contractor has operated 2,500 passenger trains with a passenger volume of 680,000 and operated more than 7,700 freight trains.
However, the Chinese company will continue to provide technical support for two more years.
In Kenya, Africa Star Railway Operation Company (Afristar), a subsidiary of CRBC, which has been operating the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway since 2017, has handed over most of the operations in Kenya.
Kenya Railways is gradually taking over SGR operations from 2021, starting with ticketing, followed by security, fueling operations and cargo handling.
The 480-kilometer rail line was built by CRBC and its parent China Communications Construction Company at a cost of more than $5 billion, with funds from China Eximbank. It stretches from the coastal city of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi with an extension to Naivasha in the Central Rift Valley.
“We will complete the takeover of operations from Afristar in 2025. All operations will be fully run and operated by Kenya Railways,” Kenya Railways managing director Philip Mainga said at the May 24 launch of the new five-year strategy of the organization. plan in Mombasa.
Yunnan Chen, a researcher at ODI (formerly the Overseas Development Institute), said that belt and road projects are not just about handing over hard technology. By taking on new Chinese infrastructure and Chinese technologies and equipment, countries must also take on the ‘soft’ infrastructure, around management, maintenance, standard operating procedures and protocols.
He said that in Ethiopia and Kenya, this was largely the responsibility of the contractor companies themselves β which are largely construction contractors rather than rail operators β in conjunction with Chinese universities, vocational colleges and other training through development cooperation.
However, Chen said, there is a steep learning curve. Domestic railway engineering and management capabilities are relatively low, and this is Ethiopia’s first major railway since the French-built Chemin de Fer which became obsolete a few decades ago.
![optional cut endsThe Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway was built by China Railway Engineering Corporation and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to enable landlocked Ethiopia access to a seaport for trading. Photo: Bloomberg](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/31/8eb2cae7-a052-47a5-813d-93c56e44cae0_a66cec46.jpg)
![optional cut endsThe Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway was built by China Railway Engineering Corporation and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to enable landlocked Ethiopia access to a seaport for trading. Photo: Bloomberg](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/31/8eb2cae7-a052-47a5-813d-93c56e44cae0_a66cec46.jpg)
“Add to that the multiple language and cultural barriers involved in communicating and teaching on a day-to-day basis between Chinese and Ethiopian staff means this is no small feat,” Chen said.
However, he said delivery remains limited.
βIn my own experience, while operations and maintenance training was a dominant element, higher-level management, financial management and ticketing was not something I saw in the training program,β Chen said.
“Railway building wasn’t part of the curriculum either. So while there is technology transfer, it remains partial and also reflects the interests of the contracting companies.”
“The effectiveness of the EDR’s management structures and the availability of funds for maintenance will co-determine the future success of the trans-national railway,” said Zajontz, who is also a lecturer in global political economy at the University of Freiburg.
He said knowledge transfer, technical cooperation and human skills development have been central to China’s South-South cooperation since Zhou Enlai’s Eight Principles for Economic and Technical Assistance in 1964.
“This was not least a reaction to African demands for more skilled jobs, technology transfer and better integration of belt and road projects with local economies,” said Zajontz, who is co-editor of the book Africa’s Railway Renaissance: The Role and Impact of China , he said.
Overall, the results were mixed.
“But even when technical employees come from China, the implementing companies have the responsibility to train local workers and ultimately hand over the functions of the projects after completion,” Cavince said.