By Logis-T Africa
The modernisation of railway infrastructure in Southern Africa has reached a new milestone. On December 19, 2025, in Gurugram, the Government of Botswana signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RITES Limited, one of India’s leading transport consultancy and engineering firms. This partnership illustrates the growing momentum of South–South cooperation in the field of logistics in Africa, at a time when the competitiveness of supply chains has become a central issue for African international trade.
A Structuring Partnership for Transport in Botswana
Represented by its Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Government of Botswana aims to accelerate the modernisation of its railway network and, more broadly, its transport infrastructure. The signing of the MoU with RITES seeks to mobilise advanced technologies, international standards and local capacity-building programmes to improve the efficiency, safety and reliability of the national transport system.
The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Botswana’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Noah Salakae, and India’s High Commissioner to Botswana, Bharath Kumar Kuthati, highlighting the diplomatic and economic importance of this partnership.
Rail at the Heart of the Logistics Strategy
At the core of this agreement is the development and modernisation of Botswana’s railway network, a key link in the Southern African supply chain. RITES will bring its technical expertise across the entire railway value chain, including the supply of rolling stock, system commissioning, maintenance operations, as well as the repair and modernisation of workshops.
For Botswana, a landlocked country strategically located between South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, rail is an essential lever to streamline freight flows, reduce logistics costs and strengthen its role in African trade. In the longer term, improvements to the railway network could enhance the country’s integration into regional corridors and boost cross-border trade.
A Multimodal Approach to Transport and Supply Chain
Beyond rail, the partnership covers a broader range of transport infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, airports and logistics buildings. This multimodal approach is consistent with the current needs of the African logistics market, where connectivity between rail, road and air transport has become essential to securing supply chains.
RITES will also be involved in logistics solutions projects in Africa, providing quality assurance services, third-party inspections, pre-shipment inspections and final acceptance testing. These tools are critical to improving infrastructure reliability and meeting the requirements of logistics operators and international investors.
Digitalisation and Strengthening Local Skills
Another key pillar of the agreement is the digitalisation of transport systems. RITES plans to deploy advanced IT solutions, including integrated railway operations and passenger management systems. This represents a major step forward in modernising Africa’s supply chains, which are still too often hindered by manual processes and a lack of visibility over flows.
Training is also a central component of the partnership. Capacity-building and skills transfer programmes are planned to develop local expertise. For Botswana, the objective is not only to modernise infrastructure, but also to build long-term technical autonomy in the management of its transport and logistics networks in Africa.
A Strong Signal for Logistics in Southern Africa
This partnership between RITES and Botswana sends a clear signal to industry stakeholders: the modernisation of transport infrastructure is now a strategic priority for strengthening the competitiveness of African economies. By focusing on rail, multimodality and digitalisation, Botswana is positioning itself as a future regional logistics hub, better integrated into African and global value chains.
For logistics in Africa, this agreement illustrates a deeper trend: infrastructure transformation is no longer just an engineering challenge, but a central lever for economic performance, supply chain resilience and the development of trade across the continent.
