Meridiam Infrastructure has acquired a 40 percent stake in Setrag (Société d’exploitation du Transgabonais), operator of the Transgabonese railway, through a capital increase of €30 million ($35 million).
Meridiam has also promised to contribute €40 million ($47 million) to the financing of Setrag and to help ensure the future development of the Transgabonese railway.
Setrag operates the railway line linking Libreville to Franceville in Gabon over a distance of 650 kilometers (403 miles). The company ensures the transport of freight and passengers with an average of 330,000 annual passengers and nearly 9 million tons of goods transported in 2020, of which 90 percent was mining freight.
An upgrade plan is under way to improve the railway’s performance through modernization and security actions. It also aims to develop the transport capacity of travelers and goods from 12 million tons to 19 million tons, in order to support the growth of the Gabonese eco
