Social responsibility has been highlighted in the construction of the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, with two Chinese railway firms paving roads and digging wells along the route to improve locals’ lives.
The Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, also known as Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, opened service on Wednesday to become the latest testament to the Sino-African friendship.
The 752.7-km line was constructed by China Railway Group (CREC) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) with an investment of US$4 billion.
CREC said it has built over 400 km of roads for local villagers, as the line passes many villages that previously had no road access.
CREC has also dug 19 wells, established over 20 water distribution sites to provide free water to villagers and supported schools and clinics.
Through such acts and by hiring large numbers of local workers, the company said they won the locals’ trust and avoided clashes over railway construction.
Meng Fengchao, board chairman of CRCC, said the company has hired over 20,000 local workers in Ethiopia and 5,000 in Djibouti, who made up the majority of the construction workers.
