On 8 November 2018, Bolloré Transport 8 Logistics won the golden trophy for the best port, airport and railways infrastructure project at the second edition of the AIFA (Africa Investments Forum & Awards). The jury singled out the Sitarail project for its rote in the Iogistic transformation of the African continent and its significant potential for development. Eric Melet, Chief Development Officer of Bolloré Transport & Logistics and CEO of Bolloré Railways, was present at the awards ceremony, held at the Pavillon d’Armenonville in Paris.
First organised in 2017, the AIFA brings together public and private players working in sectors with significant growth potential. On this basis, the organising team has selected a number of companies to find the best project in several arecs: energy, mining, infrastructure and city planning, mergers and acquisitions, growth strategies and real estate industries.
The Sitarail project was awarded first prize by a jury of industry experts and professionals following a rigorous examination of all the entries. The jury members based their analysis on the consistency and quality of investment and the efficiency of the public-private partnership (initiated in 1995 and relaunched in 2017 for a further 30 years), as well as the social and environmental aspect of the project.
As part of the planned modernisation, Sitarail will acquire new rail equipment and completely renovate the railway between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. A total of €600 million will is expected overall, of which €250 million over the period 2019-2023. The modernised infrastructure will increase the flow of goods and people between the two countries, as well as contributing to the emergence of new industrial and mining activities. Moreover, the railway is currently the only transport infrastructure so closely linked to this sub-region, where it represents over 500 direct or indirect jobs. Sitarail is emerging as the benchmark transport solution to boost trade between Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali.
“Sitarail is one of the most ambitious projects of the decade for Bolloré Transport & Logistics. It will play a key role in the logistic transformation of Africa by moving goods more quickly and promoting the deployment of logistic infrastructure such as dry ports and logis tics platforms. This project is at the heart of the sub-regional ecosystem, and is making a major contribution to the economic, industrial and social development of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. ln the long terra we will be able to transport four million tonnes of goods and 800,000 travellers every year.”