The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Project is set to receive
funding worth Kshs.146 billion (US$ 1.46 billion) from the Standard Chartered
Bank, which will provide a safe and reliable means for efficiently transporting
people and cargo to and from the existing Dar es Salaam Port
Tanzania Government signed a facility agreement with
Standard Chartered Tanzania for a term loan financing to fund the construction
of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project from Dar es Salaam to Makutupora.
Running approximately 550 kilometres long, the SGR project
is one of the country’s biggest projects connecting Dodoma to Dar es Salaam via
Morogoro and Makutupora.
Once complete, the SGR Rail project will provide a safe and
reliable means for efficiently transporting people and cargo to and from the
existing Dar es Salaam Port.
According to the Tanzania Railways Corporation, it is
expected that the railway will address current congestion challenges and
decrease freight service charges by 40%, as the railway will be able to haul up
to 10,000 tons of freight, equivalent to 500 lorries, per trip.
It will also connect
Tanzania to Burundi, Rwanda and The Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, thereby
playing a key role in enhancing regional trade.
The project has already created more than 8,000 new direct
employment opportunities for Tanzanians and has opened up opportunities for the
local communities surrounding the project area to access social services such
as shelter and food.
Standard Chartered Tanzania acted as Global Co-ordinator,
Bookrunner and Mandated Lead Arranger on the facility agreement that is the
largest foreign currency financing raised by the Ministry of Finance to date.
The biggest component of financing comes from the Export
Credit Agency Covered Facility(‘s) from the Export Credit Agencies of Denmark
and Sweden.
Speaking at the event to sign off the deal, the Minister of
Finance and Planning, Hon. Dr. Philip Mpango, commended and thanked Standard
Chartered Tanzania.
“I am very delighted to sign off on this deal on behalf of
the Government of Tanzania and its people. With the help of Standard Chartered
and our partners, the project financing will further increase direct employment
in Tanzania, and more importantly, enable our local communities the thrive as
they will be able to gain access to wider social services such as food and
housing.”
Mr. Mpango also commended and thanked the Governments of
Sweden and Denmark, which were represented by their Ambassadors in Tanzania,
for their confidence in the country’s economic growth.
“These two nations, Sweden and Denmark, have shown us their
true friendship not only in words but also in action. Please convey our
country’s sincere appreciation to the Export Credit Agencies and lenders in
your countries that have supported this signature project. As a country we
shall honour our commitments as we have always done.” Dr. Mpango said.
He added that the funding would enable the project to be
completed in good time as per the set plans.
Mr. Sanjay Rughani, Chief Executive Officer, Standard
Chartered Tanzania, said the deal signified investor confidence in the market
and demonstrated Standard Chartered’s international network capabilities and
commitment to Tanzania.
“As a leading international Bank for Africa, with over 100
years of being in Tanzania, the African continent remains a key corridor not
only for Standard Chartered but also our global clients. We are delighted to
have reached this milestone in Tanzania to fund the SGR project that will
deliver massive benefits to Tanzania and support the government’s 2025 vision
of making Tanzania an industrialised country.” Mr. Rughani said.
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