China, Zambia, and Tanzania have signed a $1.4 billion agreement to refurbish the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA), a critical trade corridor for copper exports from Southern Africa. The deal will finance rehabilitation of the 50-year-old line, alongside procurement of locomotives, passenger coaches, and wagons, according to Zambia’s government.
The TAZARA railway, originally built with Chinese support in the 1970s, remains a lifeline for Zambian and Congolese copper producers, linking inland mines to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. China’s commitment builds on a preliminary pact signed last year and comes amid intensifying competition with the U.S.-backed Lobito Corridor, a rival transport route anchored at Angola’s Lobito port.
Officials said the upgrade will modernize freight capacity, boost regional trade integration, and reduce transit costs for landlocked producers. Once completed, the refurbished line is expected to significantly strengthen copper exports and passenger mobility across East and Southern Africa.
