TURKEY, Nov. 13 -- TANZANIA is in the final stages of negotiations with Turkeys Exim Bank to secure 280 million US dollars (approximately 740.2bn/-) to complete the third and fourth phases of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, which are expected to strengthen regional connectivity and boost trade.

The negotiations took place yesterday in Antalya, Turkey, on the sidelines of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).

The Tanzanian delegation was led by Finance Minister Ambassador Khamis Mussa Omar, while the Turkish Exim Bank team was headed by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ali Guney. Amb Omar said the two phases, covering more than 700 kilometres, require a total inv...