At launch of 3rd African Digital Rail Congress in Y’de: PM reiterates cultural, socioeconomic importance of digitalising railway sector.

Dion Ngute was speaking in Yaounde May 28, while officially launching the third African Digital Rail Congress, on behalf of the President of the Republic, Paul Biya. 

The three-day congress is organised by the International Union of Railways, better known by its French abbreviation UIC, and the government of Cameroon.

While launching the congress, Dion Ngute highlighted that developing the railway sector is of high priority to the country’s development strategy.

“I am delighted that this congress is taking place in Yaounde, just a few months after the entry into force of the law governing Cameroon’s rail sector on July 25, 2023. This new law strongly affirms the importance of the rail sector and emphasises the need to enhance its socioeconomic role, especially considering the various projects that our country intends to implement, both nationally and regionally,” Dion Ngute said.

The PM cited projects, notably the renovation of the rail lines between the cities of Douala, Yaounde, Belabo and Ngaoundere, as part of the second five-year programme, and the government’s plan to construct a new section between Ngaoundere and N'Djamena, linking Cameroon to Chad, as well as another segment between Nabeba, Mbalam and Kribi, which will establish the link between Congo and Cameroon.

“We have opportunities to leverage digital technologies in these projects aligning with the vision of the African Union and the international union of railways. Digitalisation is likely to offer African economies a significant means of making considerable progress in both industry and services,” the PM added. 

He noted that the digital revolution will have an increasingly significant economic and social cultural impact in the country, over the coming decades, given the positive externalities they offer with regards to safety, profitability, reliability and the customer experience and satisfaction.

Enter railway experts 

For his part, the Director General of Cameroon Railways, CAMRAIL, Pascal Miny,pointed out that the country has already engaged a series of processes, which have placed it at the fore of railway transportation in Africa.

“The third African Digital Rail congress is an avenue for stakeholders in the African railway sector, to share ideas and experiences. This congress comes after the one we had in Tunisia, as a follow-up to see where we are now, what has been done and what needs to be done as we continue to digitalise the railway sector in Cameroon and Africa,” the CAMRAIL boss stated.

He added that digital solutions will include tools that will help with the follow-up of trains, ticket purchases, tracking of freight and containers, so clients can know at all times where their cargoes are.

“We are working together with a team from the Ministry of Transport, to find out ways to digitalise all this, to advance the African railway systems and networks, to be better,” Miny said.

He added that they are equally working with network companies to facilitate online payments and provide faster internet and nationwide network coverage, which will make the digitalisation process easier. 

The Director of UIC Railway Systems and Coordinator of the African Region, Christian Chavanel, representing the Director of UIC at the congress, reiterated that investing in the digitalisation and development of railway systems in Africa will promote growth and development of rail transport, making it the safest and most reliable form of land transport.

“Digital technology is everywhere…it is crucial that we develop digital tools that will improve on the railway sector. That is why UIC, which is present in five continents, has decided to develop the railway sector among its African members, by urging them to invest in digitalisation,” Chavanel said.

He added that there are already applications that have been put in place by the first two conferences that were held in South Africa and Tunisia, where best practices were put in place for the African railway sector.

“With this third congress, we continue to improve these practices and will present all that the UIC can do for the African railway sector,” he said.

He added that access to finances for digitalisation is huge, but this transformation is important as it will make the sector more productive and will attract young talents.

“We need a lot of talents from the young generation, so they can come with innovative ideas that will attract investors. With digitalization, there will be better time management of trains, which, by extension, will affect maintenance, capacity, punctuality, safety, productivity and railway infrastructure,” Chavanel stated.

For three days, the over 150 experts, investors and railway sector stakeholders from Cameroon, Morocco, Libya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tunisia and others, will brainstorm on solution-oriented projects to be launched, establish profitable synergy among stakeholders of the rail sector in Africa and contribute towards a master plan for the design and development of truly African digital rail strategy.