BRI-backed projects drive East Africa's integration

China's Belt and Road Initiative continues to play a pivotal role in shaping East Africa's integration, trade expansion and infrastructure development, according to a new plan for the region.

Unveiled last week in Arusha, Tanzania, the East African Community's proposed $109 million budget for the 2025-26 financial year places a strong emphasis on cross-border transport corridors — many of them backed by Chinese support through BRI-aligned investment and cooperation.

The budget, presented by Beatrice Askul Moe, chairwoman of the EAC Council of Ministers and Kenya's cabinet secretary for EAC Affairs, outlined major infrastructure projects that are key to unlocking intra-African trade and deepening economic integration within the eight-member bloc.

Key projects include the expansion of Standard Gauge Railway lines, construction of transnational highways, and digital connectivity initiatives — areas where China has emerged as a vital development partner.

"We recognize and appreciate the continued cooperation and support from both development partners and partner states like China, Germany and Japan," Moe said.

In Tanzania, the 460-kilometer Dar es Salaam-Dodoma Standard Gauge Railway, launched by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Aug 1 last year, is already boosting passenger and freight mobility.

Partly financed and built with Chinese support, the railway carries up to 1,000 passengers and has been hailed by the president as a pathway to Tanzania's future.

Moe said construction is advancing on additional links — including Dodoma-Isaka-Kigali, Tabora-Kigoma and Uvinza-Musongati — to enhance rail connectivity among Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

The Isaka-Kigali extension will eventually give landlocked Rwanda long-sought direct rail access to the Indian Ocean.

Tanzania and Burundi have secured $650 million from the African Development Bank to construct the 367-km Uvinza-Musongati-Gitega Standard Gauge Railway section.

In Kenya, plans are in motion to extend the Northern Corridor of the Standard Gauge Railway, from Naivasha-Kisumu to Malaba on the Ugandan border. Construction of the $4.5 billion line, with Chinese assistance, is scheduled to begin in December.

The extension builds on the China-constructed Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, which has linked the Kenyan capital to the port city since 2017.

Across the East African Community, Standard Gauge Railway running 1,120 km are operational in Kenya and Tanzania, with another 1,100 km under construction in Tanzania.

Cementing vision

Uganda has launched the 275-km Malaba-Kampala segment, further cementing the Northern Corridor vision of a seamless railway line from Mombasa to Kampala — a project supported by BRI-affiliated planning.

The EAC has revised technical standards to ensure inter-operability across its railway network, reflecting its commitment to efficient, integrated rail transport.

On the other hand, road connectivity remains a major priority for the bloc, which now includes South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia, which became a full member last year.

One of the region's most transformative projects is the 400-km Malindi-Mombasa-Lunga Lunga-Tanga-Bagamoyo highway, which runs along the Indian Ocean coast through Kenya and Tanzania.

The EAC budget also indicated plans to boost air connectivity, energy interconnections and digital integration — echoing BRI priorities in industrialization, e-commerce and green development.