Djibouti: Construction At Nagad Railway Station in Djibouti Officially Launched

In a groundbreaking ceremony held Sunday (July 7) in Djibouti, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and President Ismail Omar Guelleh launched construction of the new Nagad Railway Station. Construction of the station, which will form part of the 800km Addis Ababa - Dewele - Djibouti route, was also inaugurated in the presence of Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tedros Adhanom.

Following the groundbreaking, Prime Minister Hailemariam stated that the railway will have a significant impact on the region, namely in bolstering regional economic integration. Similarly, President Guelleh said "the infrastructure will advance economic cooperation and social connections between the two sisterly countries". Both leaders described the occasion as a historic day for the region.

On his part, Dr. Tedros explained that the $4.5 billion USD railway project exemplifies Ethiopia's foreign policy which aims to fight poverty and build a prosperous nation and region. He went on to explain via his twitter account that the costs of the massive rail project would be shared by both governments and that, on the Ethiopian side, 20% of the construction had already been completed. He expressed his happiness that everything was ready on the Djiboutian side, including all necessary equipment, in order to begin construction of the Nagad Station. He concluded by emphasizing that July 7 was a great and historic day for both countries.