Ethiopia and Djibouti seek bidders for railway

ADDIS ABABA, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Ethiopia and Djibouti are exploring ways to privatise their joint railway company to modernise the 1,000-km (620 mile) line linking the two neighbours, the company’s manager said on Monday.

The line, stretching from Addis Ababa, the capital of landlocked Ethiopia, to the Red Sea port of Djibouti, is a vital link for Ethiopian importers, but has long suffered from a lack of investment by the state-run operator.

“The 106 year-old railway line…has failed to provide efficient and effective service to commuters,” Abrha Habte-Egzi, acting manager of the company, told reporters in Addis Ababa on Monday.

“The company which aspires to buy the company must have the capacity to develop the railway line into a modern outfit,” he added.

Abrha said six companies from Canada, South Africa the United States and India had expressed an interest in participating in the privatisation of the railway line.

The decision on which company will win the tender is expected to be finalised by May, 2005.