Global Times: From railways, factories to skills training, BRI brings greater successes

BEIJING, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), built and operated by a Chinese enterprise, has now achieved 3,000 days of safe operation, setting a new milestone in the fruitful China-Africa partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Since its inauguration in May 2017, the railway has completed a total of 15.92 million passenger trips and 41.96 million tons of cargo transport, illustrating the tangible outcomes of China-Africa partnership over the past years.

This progress coincides with a broader context - this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). With the support of this and other mechanisms, cooperation between China and Africa has yielded fruitful results and has become a model for South-South Cooperation, the People's Daily noted.

From railways to roads, bridges, and even transport equipment such as buses, Chinese companies have made notable contributions to improving regional connectivity in African countries, with many projects being built from scratch.

Tangible results achieved

The 472-kilometre Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway is Kenya's first new railway since independence and a flagship Belt and Road project. Designed, built, and operated by a Chinese company, it applies Chinese standards and Chinese technology, significantly improving transport efficiency and driving industrial growth along the route, Xinhua News Agency reported.

As a flagship project of China-Kenya cooperation, it fully demonstrates the advancement and reliability of China's railway technology, while showcasing the strengths and capabilities of Chinese enterprises in overseas infrastructure construction and operation, Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.

"The successful operation of the railway project has boosted economic development in Kenya and the wider East African region, but also strengthened Kenya's integration into African connectivity, vividly reflecting the win-win nature of China-Africa cooperation," Song said.

The railway project is a microcosm of the fruitful cooperation between China and Africa. As a Chinese saying goes, "If you want to get rich, you must first build roads." Chinese companies are contributing to the sustainable development of African countries across a wide variety of sectors.

In early July, LOT2 of the Sierra Leone Rural Bridges Joint Project, undertaken by Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), was completed and handed over to local operators. The inauguration ceremony was held in the town of Mattru Jong, where Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio attended in person and cut the ribbon, according to a document provided by PowerChina to the Global Times. During the event, the president described the completion of the Mattru Jong Bridge as a crucial step for the country in improving people's livelihoods and advancing regional development. He gave special thanks to the PowerChina builders who turned the bridge from a blueprint into the reality.

The bridge fulfills the dream of generations of local residents. In the past, people could only risk crossing the river by canoe, and every year, some villagers tragically lost their lives, and now, families on both sides can reunite at any time, a local villager said, according to the document.

Sierra Leone is an important member of FOCAC and a partner in the BRI. Once opened to traffic, the bridge will directly boost local economy and drive rapid development, PowerChina said.

Since the BRI was proposed more than a decade ago, Chinese enterprises have been deeply involved in Africa's infrastructure development. They have helped build and upgrade of over 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, close to 1,000 bridges, and nearly 100 ports, while rolling out more than 200,000 kilometers of power transmission and communication networks, China News Service reported.

"Transport infrastructure and related projects are a vital part of China-Africa cooperation, particularly under the BRI. They not only enhance Africa's connectivity but also help address one of the continent's major development bottlenecks - the infrastructure gap," Song said.

Empowering future growth

This year marks the 25th anniversary of FOCAC. Based on what has already been achieved, the future of China-Africa cooperation under the BRI looks very promising, experts said.

Song said both sides can further strengthen the synergy between hard and soft connectivity by developing backbone networks such as railways, roads, and ports, while also promoting people-to-people exchanges, including training and educating local personnel to enable them to play a greater role in regional development.

The Mombasa-Nairobi SGR is a vivid example of such connectivity. The railway not only makes travel easier and strengthens regional connectivity and economic growth, but also creates jobs and provides skills training for local workers.

During its construction and operation, the project helped create 74,000 jobs and trained about 2,800 Kenyan professionals in standard gauge railway technology. It also boosted local employment and improved livelihoods along the route through community programs and public welfare initiatives, Xinhua reported.

Chinese companies are not only helping build railways and bridges but also setting up factories to produce transport equipment such as buses and cars, as part of efforts to upgrade the region's industrial development.

In Ethiopia, Chinese bus maker Yutong Bus Co's established a plant that made it possible for the country to have locally assembled Yutong buses for the first time. The project will enhance Ethiopia's level of industrialization while helping create about 2,000 jobs, injecting strong momentum into the local economy, according to a document the company sent to the Global Times.

Since entering the African market in 2004, the Henan-based company has built a well-established sales and service network across nearly 50 African countries. Its cumulative sales in Africa have exceeded 22,500 units, accounting for about 30 percent of China's total bus exports to the continent, according to Yutong Bus Co.

These integrations vividly reflect the win-win nature of China-Africa cooperation, in which large-scale infrastructure projects serve not only as economic corridors but also as platforms for knowledge transfer and shared prosperity, Song said.

As Africa advances its integration agenda and China promotes high-quality BRI cooperation, both sides are expected to unlock new opportunities in sustainable development, digital connectivity, and green growth, laying a stronger foundation for building a community with a shared future, Song noted.

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SOURCE Global Times