China to Train Technicians of Tanzania-Zambia RailwayChina has offered training to 40 technicians of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) in a bid to improve the management of the railway built as a gift by the Chinese government in 1970s.The eight-month training, to be attended by 20 Tanzanians and 20 Zambians, is planned to start in June in Tianjin, a Chinese northern port city, a diplomat with the Chinese Embassy said Friday. Li Xiaoqing, representative of the economic and commercial section of the embassy, said that the training program is an integral part of the long-term technical cooperation between China, Tanzania and Zambia. An agreement on the training was signed Thursday at TAZARA headquarters here by the TAZARA Managing Director Charles Phiri and China Civil Engineering Construction Cooperation (CCECC) Director and Vice President Ma Li. Phiri, a Zambian, said at the signing ceremony that the TAZARA needs young and well-educated technicians, engineers and specialists as 66 percent of the existing workforce comprises people who are above 45 years of age. He said the training will focus on the operation and maintenance of the various new equipment that China has granted to the TAZARA over the past years. The training will also focus on railway transport management and computer applications, he added. The TAZARA chief commended China for her continued technical support to the TAZARA since its inception. Many things have taken place since the TAZARA was constructed 30 years ago, but the good relationship between our three countries has never changed, said Li, the Chinese diplomat. The 1860-kilometer Tanzania-Zambia Railway links the Indian Ocean port city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. |
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