Privatising railways in Africa

Abstract

In most African countries, railways have existed for at least one century. The basic aim of setting up railways in Africa was to facilitate colonial penetration and to haul products from the hinterland to the sea coast. Today, the environment of monopoly that railways enjoyed since that time and afterwards has changed. With the achievement of independence by African countries, the cause of history changed and railway networks were placed under State control. For several years, investment on most networks has not kept pace with investments in other modes of transport, except for a few countries which have placed emphasis on railway development. As a result, real transport performance has been eroding fast and reached a situation where services have deteriorated. While the cost of basic investment in rail transport is very high compared to other modes, in the long run, railways provide the most economical means of transport.