Rift Valley Railways (RVR) signs two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs): the first will soon materialize into transportation and logistics service agreements for members of the Egyptian export council for chemicals & fertilizers and the second will help promote RVR’s services through Expo One, a company that manages and organizes local and international trade fairs
Rift Valley Railways (RVR), the national railway of Kenya and Uganda, and Qalaa Holdings’ primary investment in the East African transportation and logistics sector, has signed two MOU’s with the Egyptian export council for chemicals & fertilizers and Expo One. The first MOU with the chemicals & fertilizers export council will soon enable members to make use of RVR’s reliable and cost-efficient transportation and logistics services for their exports to Kenya and Uganda.
Expo One, an exhibition and conference management company that promotes Egyptian pavilions in international and local trade exhibitions, will be promoting RVR’s transportation and logistics services to its exhibitors at trade fairs.
“We look forward to seeing these MOUs transform into official agreements in the near future as we truly believe that they will be a win-win proposition for both Egyptian exporters and RVR,” said Qalaa Holdings Managing Director for Transportation and Logistics, Karim Sadek. “Our competitive, reliable and volume driven pricing for inland transport will help open up new markets for Egyptian exporters in East Africa.”
“For RVR, a move into a contract-based revenue model, with incentives to clients based on higher volumes, will set a precedent that can be applied to other countries that trade with Kenya and Uganda,” added Sadek.
RVR is the most efficient, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly mode of transporting goods in East Africa. The railway offers a unique door-to-door transportation and customs-clearance service through its subsidiary EARH (East Africa Rail and Handling) that can help exporters tap into new markets and grow the volume of intra-regional trade.
RVR is in the final stages of implementing a successful US$ 287 million capital investment and turnaround program that began in January 2012 to revitalize the railway. Since the start of the renewal program, RVR has invested the above mentioned amount in modern rail operating technology, rebuilding infrastructure, expanding haulage capacity and developing modern rail operating skills in RVR’s 2,000 strong workforce. Today RVR is seeing improved safety and reliability, increased capacity and a significant improvement in the overall efficiency of the operation.
“Becoming the official inland transportation carrier for an Egyptian export council is a significant step that will help lead the way to broadening and deepening trade and investment between Egypt and East Africa,” said RVR Chairman Titus Naikuni. “We are also pleased to be entering into a cooperation agreement with a company like Expo One to develop larger volumes of trade and highlight the benefits of rail transport,” he added.
RVR is Qalaa Holdings’ primary investment in the African transportation sector, with a 25-year concession to operate 2,352 km of track linking the Indian Ocean Port of Mombasa to the interiors of Kenya, the Ugandan capital Kampala and the northern part of Uganda.
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Qalaa Holdings(CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Stock Exchange) is an African leader in infrastructure and industry. Formerly known as Citadel Capital, Qalaa Holdings controls subsidiaries in industries including Energy, Cement, Transportation & Logistics, and Mining. To learn more, please visit qalaaholdings.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Ms. Ghada Hammouda
CMO & Head of Marketing Communications
Qalaa Holdings
ghammouda@qalaaholdings.com
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