The Bishoftu-based facility, sprawling across 62 hectares, is envisioned as the backbone of Ethiopia’s long-term strategy to build a fully localised, technically skilled workforce capable of operating, maintaining, and expanding one of the continent’s most ambitious rail networks. ERC officials say the centre will be completed within three years.
Hlina Belachew, Chief Executive Officer of ERC, described the project as a pivotal investment in the country’s human capital.
She noted that Ethiopia has reached an inflection point where expanding railway infrastructure must be matched by comparable growth in domestic technical capability. Her emphasis on reducing reliance on foreign technicians aligns with broader national policy.
According to the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime PhD , the Railway Academy will provide efficient transportation services by establishing a modern railway infrastructure to connect the country’s major development centers and all neighboring countries.
Ethiopia’s heavy dependence on overseas experts has long inflated operational costs and slowed the pace of localisation.
The new facility is expected to significantly cut training-related expenses while stimulating commercial activity in Bishoftu and surrounding cities.
Ethiopia’s path to railway modernisation has advanced rapidly in recent years, particularly along the Ethiopian-Djibouti corridor. Chinese contractors told Birr Metrics that more than 2,840 Ethiopians have already been trained and certified in operations, maintenance, and safety management.
By early 2024, the number of local staff working within the railway ecosystem surpassed 3,000, spanning roles such as train conductors, locomotive technicians, electrical engineers, and mid- to senior-level managers.
The handover of operations and maintenance to Ethiopian enterprises in May marked one of the clearest signs yet that localisation is no longer aspirational, but actively taking shape.
Ethiopia’s rising profile as an African economic and railway powerhouse
The launch of the training centre also reinforces Ethiopia’s growing stature as one of Africa’s most resilient economic giants.
Despite periods of political and macroeconomic turbulence, the country has continued to invest aggressively in large-scale transport infrastructure, positioning itself as a logistics nerve centre for the Horn of Africa.
The railway sector, in particular, has been central to Ethiopia’s ambition to extend its economic influence deeper into the region while offering neighbouring landlocked states more efficient trade routes.
Earlier in June, the United Arab Emirates finalized a landmark $3 billion agreement to construct a railway linking the Port of Berbera in Somaliland directly to Ethiopia.
By consolidating domestic expertise and reducing operational dependency on external partners, Ethiopia is signalling that it intends not only to operate modern railways, but to become the region’s principal authority in railway engineering, management, and technology.
The new training facility represents both a symbolic and practical step toward that goal, one that could shift the balance of transport leadership in East Africa for years to come.
