Isaka–Kigali Standard Gauge Railway that both countries had agreed to change the railway design to accommodate electric locomotives which are faster than the original diesel-powered equipment. In April 2018, the same newspaper further reported that the World Bank had expressed its willingness to fund this project. In January 2018, the government of Rwanda allocated space in Ndera, approximately , by road, east of Kigali city center, on which the passenger terminal of the SGR will be built. The cargo terminal will be built in Masaka, another neighborhood, approximately , by road, south-east of the central business district of Kigali City. Rwanda has plans to
African Continental Free Trade Area 8-9 March 2018 the African Union Ministers of Trade approved the draft. At the extraordinary Summit of the Assembly of the African Union on 21 March in Kigali the Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area was signed, along with the Kigali Declaration and the Protocol of Free Movement. Other countries who signed the Kigali declaration, including South Africa and Namibia, are expected to sign the agreement during the AU summit in July. Negotiations will continue in 2018 with Phase II, including policies of investment, competition and intellectual property rights. On the January 2020 AU Assembly negotiations are envisaged