On 31st March 2023 Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed the contract for the Feasibility Study and Preliminary Engineering Design of the electrified Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) for the Gitega-Bujumbura-Uvira-Kindu section, part of the multinational SGR project between Burundi, DRC and Tanzania. In the presence of DRC Minister of Transport H.E. MR. MARC EKILA LIKOMBO and his Burundian counterpart H.E MARIE CHANTAL NIJIMBERE, CCTTFA Executive Secretary Adv. OKANDJU OKONGE FLORY signed the contract on behalf of the two member states with a representative from CPCS & ZUTARI GROUP the Consulting firm responsible for the activity.
The signing ceremony took place in Kinshasa, DRC. The value of the contract is USD 3,178,686 and the share of the countries is between 70.9% (DRC) and 29.1% (Burundi) in accordance with the allocation breakdown fixed in the Joint Funding Agreement signed by the two countries in August 2022.
Invited guests present to witness the signing included H.E SAID JUMA MSHANA, Tanzania Ambassador to DRC, H.E JEAN PIERRE MASSALA, DRC Ambassador to Tanzania, MR. MPITABAKANA WELLARS, 1st Counselor of the Republic of Burundi in DRC, MR. ROGER TE-BIASU, Coordinator of CEPCOR at the Ministry of Transport in DRC and ENGINEER INNOCENT NIBIZI, Director of Transport Ministry of Transport Burundi. Also present were members of the Joint Technical Committe of the Gitega-Uvira-Kindu SGR Project from Burundi and DRC and CCTTFA Secretariat staff.
