Public Management(Ecofin Agency) - In a bid to boost free trade under the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), several models have been proposed to revamp the railway system. In Late December, South African trade research group Tralac issued a report proposing cheaper alternatives to rebuilding Africa’s outdated rail, potentially easing trade bottlenecks and speeding up continental trade. Furthermore, 16 countries on the continent still do not have railways, according to another report by the International Union of Railways (published in 2018). The report proposes a plan to construct the missing links for better meshing to achieve a continental-type rail system. According to estimates by AGL, cited by the African Development Bank in its report “Rail Infrastructure in Africa Financing Policy Options”, a complete reconstruction would require an investment of over $100 billion.
