ARUSHA, Tanzania: Tanzania’s fully electrified Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has been lauded as a transformative infrastructure project advancing East African Community (EAC) integration, reducing travel times, and enhancing regional trade, officials said on Saturday.
Outgoing EAC Chairperson, Kenyan President William Ruto, praised the railway during the 25th Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State in Arusha, noting its growing role in passenger and freight transport.
“The Tanzanian SGR services, which began on June 14, 2024, carry an average of 10,000 passengers daily between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma. Freight services from Pugu Station to Ihumwa ICF started on June 27 last year, a significant stride for our community,” Dr Ruto said.
Tanzania is the first EAC member state to construct a fully electrified SGR. The railway currently runs from Dar es Salaam through key economic hubs including Morogoro and Dodoma, with planned extensions to Tabora, Kigoma, and Mwanza. Cross-border electrified SGR links are also planned with Burundi, connecting Uvinza in Tanzania to Musongati in Burundi.
Dr Ruto said the SGR is vital for regional infrastructure connectivity, cutting travel time between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma to less than four hours — half the duration by road — and lowering logistics costs across the bloc.
How Tanzania is turning infrastructure into competitive advantage in East African region
The summit communiqué also addressed broader trade and integration goals. EAC member states agreed to resolve outstanding non-tariff barriers by June 30, 2026, and tasked the Council of Ministers with finalising a joint action plan to strengthen trade relations among partner states, institutions, and the private sector.
South Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo were urged to fast-track domestication of the EAC treaty to enable smoother implementation of community programmes, with a roadmap due by June 30. The summit also directed Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, the DRC, and Somalia to conclude national consultations on the EAC political confederation constitution by the same date.
During the summit, Dr Ruto handed over EAC leadership to Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. Tanzanian diplomat Stephen Patrick Mbundi was appointed as the new EAC Secretary-General for a five-year non-renewable term starting April 25, succeeding outgoing Ms Veronica Nduva.
The electrified SGR is expected to accelerate regional commerce, strengthen passenger mobility, and position Tanzania as a key infrastructure hub in East Africa.
