The 12th African Assembly was held at UIC HQ under the chairmanship of the CEO of Moroccan Railways Mr Mohamed Rabie Khlie.
During the session, the members were informed about the results achieved throughout 2015. There were 12 principal actions foreseen and carried out. The main actions focused on the training of African managers in “safety and security” and “maintenance of the railway track” organised at the ONCF training centre. Around 40 managers from 16 African countries were trained by local and international experts in these areas. We have received very positive feedback from trainees, and so the Regional Assembly (ARA) decided to continue these activities in 2016. “Next Station”, the global event on railway stations hosted by Moroccan Railways under the patronage of His Majesty King of Morocco, was a flagship event supported by UIC this year. Over 300 participants discussed the future of railway stations, as well as the issues of connectivity, intermodality and security challenges. Against a background of innovations, the subject of new technology in the railway system was also discussed.
The members of the ARA were informed about the others actions completed in 2015 such as the participation of African members in the International Conference in Interoperability and Standardisation in Doha, Qatar; the World Congress on Rail Training in Lisbon, Portugal, the joint action during international ILCAD events and several publications including “Focus on Africa, “Appeal of Tangier” and several bilateral meetings on the Regional Presidency initiative to raise awareness among the members on the international activities conducted within the UIC African region.
For 2016 the members agreed on a budget, and underlined the needs to strengthen the Regional Representative Office in Rabat. The ambitious programme of activities for 2016 was also accepted.
At the end of the ARA session, the Sustainable Development issues were presented by the UIC team to members in view of the COP21 events such as “Train to Paris” and the COP22 to be held in Marrakech next year.
A dedicated newsletter focused on African activities was recently released and is available below:
