Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway -- The "Lifeline" at critical moments
In March 2020, 1,267 Ethiopian university students were stranded in Dire Dawa due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and they were in urgent need of evacuation to the capital city of Addis Ababa. The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway operators soon arranged two disinfected temporary passenger trains, and successfully sent the students to their destination for free.
"The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway gave help at a time of need. I feel proud of the railway in Ethiopia," said Abdual, a student at Dire Dawa University in Ethiopia who travels by train between his home and university. This special trip warmed his heart.
The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, a transport artery between Ethiopia and Djibouti, is operated and maintained by the joint venture of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) under China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and China Railway Group Limited (CREC), which have ensured smooth freight transport during the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, a large number of Ethiopia's imports were stuck in the port of Djibouti. The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway has made every effort to overcome difficulties and ensure emergency management. Since May this year, two freight trains were dispatched every day at each end of the railway to deliver more than 8,000 containers held up at the port of Djibouti, including pandemic prevention materials in dire need, to Ethiopia. Requested by the Ethiopian agricultural authority, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway also helped transport more than 60,000 tons of grain, 70,000 tons of fertilizers and other agricultural materials, effectively ensuring local agricultural production and livelihood needs during the pandemic, and thus is praised by the local people as "the 'lifeline' at critical moments".
"A friend in need is a friend indeed. Chinese enterprises give effective and trustworthy support to Ethiopia's combat against the pandemic." A local media Ethiopia Insider reported that the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway has ensured its operation to support local communities, and reported a remarkable increase in freight transport volume over the previous year. The report also said that Chinese enterprises launched pandemic control training, produced pandemic prevention manuals in local languages, and organized volunteers to publicize health knowledge to "share China's successful experience with the local areas".
"Helping local communities with a better life" is an important part of CCECC Ethiopia Company's Corporate Social Responsibility Report issued last year. The company's Adama Industrial Park has created the "community relationship joint conference" mechanism with the local government and communities, under which the community relationship coordination meeting is held monthly to hear the appeals from local communities and help them solve problems. The company also organized the "Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway charity program" to learn about villagers' needs, make donations to local schools and communities, and give free medical services. Chinese enterprises also drilled many wells in the communities along the railway and around the industrial park to meet local residents' daily needs. After completion of the projects, they gave the wells, pumps and generators to the local people.
"Chinese enterprises stress communication with villagers around their projects. They respect our traditions and help us solve problems," said Adbu, the elder of Melka Jebdu Village, Dire Dawa, who is now a friendship envoy between Chinese enterprises and local communities. He told villagers that the railway is important to them and they should take good care of it.
A recent report about the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway attracted the attention of Ethiopian media: the first batch of 34 Ethiopian electric train drivers has returned home after eight months of training in China. Ethiopia's Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges gave her congratulations via her social media account, "Dear graduates, you'll shoulder the responsibility for promoting railway operation. The future of Ethiopia's railway is in your hands." This is an epitome of how the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway helps local capacity building and employment. As an important driving force for local development, Chinese enterprises have trained more than 20,000 local employees during the railway's construction and operation.
