Standard Chartered has structured more than $2.33 billion in syndicated financing to support a major expansion of Tanzania’s standard gauge railway, underscoring rising international backing for large-scale infrastructure across East Africa.
The funding will enable Turkish contractor Yapı Merkezi to deliver Lots 3 and 4 of the railway—spanning roughly 430 kilometers between Makutupora and Isaka—part of a broader corridor linking Dar es Salaam to Mwanza. Separately, Lot 5, a 249-kilometer stretch from Isaka to Mwanza, is being executed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
The financing structure blends export credit agency (ECA) backing with commercial and development funding. About $1.32 billion was secured through ECA facilities signed in 2025 and 2026, complemented by $462 million in long-term loans from commercial banks and development finance institutions arranged in 2023. An additional $559 million facility for Lot 5, backed by Sinosure, was drawn in 2025.
Standard Chartered acted as sole global coordinator, bookrunner, mandated lead arranger, facility agent and lender to the Ministry of Finance of Tanzania, reinforcing its central role in the country’s infrastructure financing efforts.
The ECA-backed tranches drew support from a consortium including EKN and SEK of Sweden, KUKE, and SACE, alongside reinsurance from additional agencies. The deal highlights increasing cross-border coordination among export credit institutions to fund strategic transport networks in emerging markets.
The railway, one of Tanzania’s largest infrastructure projects to date, aims to connect the port of Dar es Salaam with inland trade corridors and neighboring countries, easing cargo movement and reducing reliance on road transport. Authorities expect the project to stimulate economic activity in the country’s interior while creating jobs and enhancing regional trade integration.
The government, working through Tanzania Railways Corporation, has prioritized the SGR as a cornerstone of its long-term development strategy.
The latest transaction builds on Standard Chartered’s earlier $1.46 billion ECA-led financing for Lots 1 and 2, signed in 2020, further cementing the bank’s role in mobilizing global capital for African infrastructure.
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