(Ecofin Agency) – Every weekend, the Ecofin editorial team reminds you of the main news of the week in the African transport sector, as well as their implications.
Angola: Emirati EDGE Group lands €1 billion contract to equip naval forces
The Emirati conglomerate EDGE Group has signed a 1 billion euro agreement with Angola to supply the Angolan navy with a fleet of BR71 MKII corvettes, state-of-the-art combat ships. These specialized vessels will be built by Abu Dhabi Ship Building, the naval branch of EDGE, and used to monitor and secure the Angolan coasts.
Ethiopia: China to provide spare parts to repair Addis Ababa light rail network
Ethiopia and China have signed a 155 million yuan (22.33 million USD) deal to supply spare parts to Addis Ababa’s light rail system, which is currently underutilized due to supply difficulties. maintenance and repair of rolling stock. Currently, 23 of the 40 rail cars on the network are broken down.
Faced with technical breakdowns, Air Senegal wants to replace its Airbus A220 fleet with Embraer E195-E2
After encountering technical problems with its Airbus A220s, Air Senegal intends to replace its fleet with Embraer E195-E2 jets. Eric Iba Gueye, commercial and marketing director of the company confided during an interview with the Italian media Italia Vola, that it has given up a rental agreement for 5 A220-300 aircraft.
This is due to delays in delivery of the first batch of 2 aircraft expected since December 2022, while another of its A220s has been grounded since November for technical failures. According to him, the recurring technical problems with the Pratt & Whitney 1500G engines integrated in these types of planes disrupt the activities of the Senegalese national company a lot.
Morocco: the rail network recorded 45.9 million passengers in 2022
45.9 million people traveled by train in Morocco during the year 2022, an increase of 42% compared to 2021 according to statistics from the National Railways Office (ONCF). The overall traffic generated a turnover of nearly 2 billion dirhams (193 million USD). The rail freight activity recorded a volume of more than 20 million tonnes and a turnover of approximately 1.69 billion dirhams (163.3 million).
Senegal expects €320 million in donor investment to modernize bus transport
Senegal has obtained nearly €320.4 million in financing pledges from a group of donors comprising the European Investment Bank (EIB), the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union ( EU) and the German agency KFW. The funds, intended to finance the modernization of Dakar’s public transport network, will consist of loans, i.e. €166.9 million and €100 million granted respectively by the EIB and AFD, and donations worth €53. €5 million granted by the EU, KFW and AFD.