A Congolese mining company signed a $1.1 billion agreement with German railway operator Deutsche Bahn and a South African investment company to build a railway between the Atlantic Port of Noire and the Mayoko iron ore mine.

The agreement was signed in Brazzaville on July 16 by Sapro Mayoko CEO Paul Obambi and Thelo DB CEO Ronny Ntouli. The plan is to build a 412-kilometer railway line that will export about 12 million tons of iron ore each year. The ore will be mined in the Mayoko deposit, which is believed to contain approximately 580 million tons of minerals.

Sapro acquired Mayoko from South African mining company Exxaro DMC in 2016, initially producing 3 million tons of hematite per year. The Congolese company plans to eventually increase it to 150 million tons. Part of the funds will be used to repair the 182-kilometer section of the dilapidated colonial-era route to Pointe Noire.

Keywords: railway construction, international engineering

Pointe Noire is the second city in the Democratic Republic of Congo after Brazzaville, and it is also the country's main commercial center. The project is expected to take five years to complete.Editor/Baohongying