• SETRAG seeks IFC loan for €704 million rail upgrade

• Phase III to replace 561 km rails by 2030

• IFC flags environmental, social risks near Lopé Park

SETRAG, the operator of Gabon’s only railway line, the Transgabonais, has approached the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for a loan to complete Phase III of the railway’s modernization, according to the financial institution.

The project carries a total budget of 704 million euros ($835 million), of which 501 million euros will be funded by SETRAG. The balance is expected to come from other financial partners, including the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union. The exact amount sought from the IFC has not been disclosed.

Phase III includes replacing 561 km of rails and 324 km of sleepers by 2030. The company aims to replace 96% of sleepers on the main line by mid-2029, restoring the line’s original capacity of 16 trains per day.

The IFC has classified the project as “Category A” because the railway runs through Lopé National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and due to its potential social impact on nearly 500 people living along the tracks. In response, SETRAG has established an Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP), including the creation of 28 community committees and measures to improve pedestrian safety under a “Zero Collision” strategy.

Beyond infrastructure upgrades, SETRAG also plans to launch a pilot project to eliminate around one million used wooden sleepers and strengthen protection for emblematic species such as forest elephants and great apes living along the railway corridor.

Launched in 2018 and initially valued at more than 200 billion CFA francs ($361 million), the Transgabonais upgrade program aims to improve the safety and reliability of the network, increase capacity and performance, and enhance passenger transport services. The railway stretches nearly 648 kilometers.

According to a parliamentary report published in October 2024, the railway’s aging infrastructure, with its first section dating back to 1978, is the main cause of derailments and accidents recorded in recent years. The line connects Libreville, Gabon’s capital, to Moanda via Franceville in Haut-Ogooué province, where Eramet mines manganese through its subsidiary Comilog.

Sandrine Gaingne