The Director, African Railway Roundtable, Mr Olawale Rasheed, has called on the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) to urgently convey an “AFCFTA Railway Forum”.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, Rasheed, who is also the Managing Director of African Railway Consulting Limited, said: “The Forum is imperative because the question of connectivity and ease of movement of goods and services are at the heart of common economic union and prosperity envisaged under AFCFTA.

“It is curious that several discussions on AfCFTA have excluded the significance of railway as a critical success factor demanding of a continental coordination and interoperability. Here, it is not just about technical uniformity and alignment but also the standardisation of economic and operational rules and templates among member states.

“While it is a thing of joy that that several African nations and economic blocs are actively reviving and expanding their railway networks, continental coordination and standardisation is a matter that should interest critical continental agencies like AUDA-NEPAD and AfCFTA secretariat. A railway Forum to address key issues affecting a common railway policy and harmonisation agenda is necessary.

“AUDA-NEPAD can launch the process in partnership with the AfCFTA secretariat. NEPAD under the current leadership has laid solid foundation for continental railway project, identifying African wide railway transportation as key to deepening inter and intra-African trade. The African Continental High Speed Rail project was conceived and approved by African Heads of State in pursuance of this major goal.

“Working the talk is key especially with the advent of AfCFTA. Several protocols are being negotiated. It is time to start that of trans-boundary and trans-national railway protocol. Creating a common African Railway Policy will also speed up resolution of challenges of standardisation across technical, economic and legal boundaries.

“I call on Dr Ibrahim Maiyaki and the AfCFTA leadership to act urgently to host an AfCFTA railway Forum. Railway stakeholders across Africa will join the duo and their respective organisations to make the exercise a worthwhile one,” Rasheed said.