The agreement was signed by Tanzania's Finance Minister Mwigulu Nchemba and Burundi's Finance Minister Makame Mbarawa. Mwiguru said the 282-kilometer section, which is expected to cost no more than $900 million, will be jointly financed by the two governments.

Mbarawa commented in a statement that the project is important for both countries, as well as for the Democratic Republic of Congo, which uses the Dar es Salaam port for trade. The ministers said the route would allow the export of more than 1 million tonnes of goods and 3 million tonnes of minerals from Burundi.

Tanzania will build a 156-kilometer section in the towns of Malagallasi and Uwenza near the border, while Burundi will build a 126-kilometer section in Gitega. The link will be an extension of the mid-speed SGR currently under construction between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza. The project is divided into five parts and is undertaken by Yapi Merkezi in Turkey, Mota-Engil in Portugal, China Civil Engineering Construction and China Railway Construction. Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

There is no indication of how the work will be funded. The existing sector relies on state funding, with concessional loans from sources such as the World Bank and Standard Chartered, as well as support from export banks in Turkey and China, and the governments of Sweden and Denmark. Mwigulu said Tanzania and Burundi will jointly raise funds for the project.Editor/XingWentao