"This year marks the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Yaji Railway and the tenth anniversary of the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative. With the joint efforts of China, Egypt and Kyrgyzstan, the Yaji Railway has achieved fruitful results and become a model of China-Africa cooperation, as well as a vivid epitome of the 'One Belt, One Road' construction. It has become a model of China-Africa cooperation and a vivid epitome of 'One Belt, One Road' construction. With great potential and a bright future, China is willing to work with all parties to effectively promote the sustainable development of the Yaji Railway and make a greater contribution to the prosperity and development of the Horn of East Africa." Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan said this at a recent ceremony to mark the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Yaji Railway for commercial operation and the awarding of the Locomotive Medal.

The 752-kilometre-long Yaji Railway, built and operated by China Civil Engineering, a subsidiary of China Railway Construction, spans two African countries and is another transnational railway built by China in Africa after the Tanzanian Railway, as well as the first transnational electrified railway in Africa, and is known as the "Tanzanian Railway of the new era". Ethiopia is located in the north-eastern part of Africa, and the headquarters of the African Union is located in Addis Ababa, from where the trains of the Agis Railway depart every day and run at a speed of 120 kilometres per hour for more than six hours to reach the port of Djibouti, thus turning Ethiopia, a "land-locked country", into a "land-linked country". This will turn Ethiopia, a "landlocked country", into a "land-linked country" and greatly enhance the connectivity and economic development of the Horn of Africa region.

In April 2019, during the 2nd Belt and Road Summit, the Asia-Jordan Railway Economic Corridor and the industrial parks along the route were included in the joint communiqué of the Forum's Roundtable Summit, the first in the category of "Economic Corridors Driven and Supported by Connectivity". It is the first project in the category of "Economic Corridors Enabled and Supported by Connectivity".

On the day of the award ceremony, Addis Ababa's Rabo station was abuzz with activity. In addition to Ambassador Zhao Zhiyuan, the Minister of Finance of Ethiopia and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ethiopian-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway Joint Stock Company, Sid, the Minister of Infrastructure and Equipment of Djibouti, Hassan, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of China Civil Engineering, Liu Weimin, were among the guests of honour.

Hidde said that in the past five years, the ADR has made remarkable achievements, with continuous growth in operating revenue, a steady increase in the number of customers and orderly progress in capacity building, all of which underscore the importance of the ADR. He said that the government of Ethiopia will continue to improve the service level of Yaji Railway, enhance connectivity and promote economic development.

Hassan said that over the past five years, the Yaji Railway has overcome many difficulties and made positive contributions to promoting the economic development and regional integration of Djibouti and Ethiopia, and hoped that with the efforts of all parties, it would continue to accelerate the development of the Yaji Railway and provide more safe, efficient and high-quality transport services to customers.

"The Yaji Railway is not only the flagship project of China-Africa cooperation under the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative, but also the first full industry chain 'going out' railway built by Chinese enterprises overseas, from financing support, design standards, equipment procurement from financing support, design standards, equipment procurement, construction, and the whole process of operation are all 'made in China'." Liu Weimin, Chairman of China Civil Engineering, said, "China Civil Engineering attaches great importance to the sustainable development of the Yaji Railway, and has cooperated sincerely with all parties in Ethiopia and Djibouti to achieve the safe and stable operation of the Yaji Railway, with year-on-year growth in transport revenue and sustained positive development prospects.

Since the opening of commercial operation in 2018, the number of passengers sent by the Yaji Railway has continued to rise, and the transport revenue has maintained a high growth rate of over 35% per year on average. From construction to operation, it has provided employment for 55,000 people in Ethiopia and Djibouti, trained more than 3,000 railway professionals, and has trained 107 local train drivers in three batches so far.

The railway not only has the important mission of accelerating regional revitalization and overcoming development challenges in the Horn of Africa Peaceful Development Concept, but also has made outstanding contributions to the economic development of Ethiopia and Djibouti. In recent years, as the international crude oil market continued to rise in price, the Ethiopian government experienced a series of severe fuel shortages. The railway has become the national economic artery of Ethiopia and Djibouti and the lifeline of the East African plateau.

Liu Weimin said, China Civil Engineering will adhere to the original intention, accelerate the training of local technical personnel, and work together to build the Yaji Railway into a road of peace, prosperity, openness, green and civilization.