A landmark of 20th-century solidarity is being rebooted for the 21st. The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), famously known as the "Uhuru" or "Freedom Railway," is embarking on a comprehensive revitalization project, officially launched at a groundbreaking ceremony in Lusaka attended by the leaders of China, Zambia, and Tanzania.

This event marks a new chapter for a railway that has long symbolized South-South cooperation.

Wang Jinjie, research assistant professor at Peking University's National School of Development and the Institute of South–South Cooperation and Development shares her insights.

More than a railway

Beyond its historical significance, TAZARA remains a vital lifeline for local communities. Professor Wang's field research reveals its profound everyday impact:

Mobility: Residents rely on the railway for affordable and safer travel than long-distance buses, using it to commute to work, send children to school, and access clinics.

Economy: A vibrant informal economy thrives at intermediate stations, with vendors, small shops, and repair services. The train's schedule structures local market days, providing crucial market access, especially for women traders selling agricultural products and cooked food.

Trade: The line allows local producers to ship grain and horticultural products to urban markets and bring fertilizer and goods back home.

A modern vision

The revitalization is a strategic and trilateral commitment, signaling a modernization of the China-Africa partnership. The project is structured in two phases:

Activate: Hardware renewal, including replacing sleepers, rails, and rehabilitating aging bridges and tunnels.

Develop: Boosting annual freight capacity to a target of 2 million tons and slashing transit times by two-thirds to resolve current bottlenecks.

The project is explicitly linked to creating a "TAZARA Prosperity Belt," integrating logistics dry ports and industrial parks to drive regional development. Simultaneously, a dedicated training center will professionalize management and strengthen operational frameworks.

Regional integration

The upgraded TAZARA is poised to be transformative:

For Zambia: It will provide a high-capacity, predictable outlet for copper and critical minerals, reduce road maintenance costs, and support its ambition to become a "land-linked" economy by improving agricultural logistics.

For regional trade: It will strengthen east-west linkages, offering landlocked nations like the DRC, Malawi, and Zimbabwe more options to access the Indian Ocean via Dar es Salaam. This enhanced connectivity is a perfect fit for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

For local communities: The plan includes "small and beautiful" projects like upgrading clinics near stations, establishing demonstration farms with Chinese agricultural techniques, and installing solar mini-grids and water points to ensure benefits are felt in daily life.

A new template for China-Africa cooperation

Professor Wang characterizes the TAZARA upgrade as a "reference case" for future partnerships. It represents a shift from standalone infrastructure to "corridor thinking," emphasizing prosperity belts, industrial linkages, and community projects. Key lessons include more balanced risk-sharing through long-term concessions, targets for local employment, and a strong focus on knowledge transfer and local skill development.

"The infrastructure itself would not bring the prosperity. The infrastructure would just be a channel to take us to the prosperity," Professor Wang notes, emphasizing that strategic alignment with national development plans, robust industrial policies, and good governance are essential to create a virtuous circle where economic activity and modern infrastructure reinforce each other.