Foreign Interests in Ethiopian Rail Development

A surge of investment from foreign companies and governments into Ethiopia's railway network is fueling development of the country's transport infrastructure. Rail transport continues to be the most efficient way to move freight from inland Africa to the continent's coastal ports, and investment in Ethiopian rail would not only increase economic activity inside the country, but areas farther inland as well. Over the long term, one such beneficiary could be South Sudan, a country that urgently needs to diversify its options for exporting oil and would welcome an Ethiopian rail connection — even if one with limited capacity — to Djiboutian ports on the Red Sea.