LONDON – September 09, 2026 -- A&S Resources Limited has secured $6 billion in financing from the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) to build a 1,350-km railway linking its mineral assets in the Central African Republic (CAR) to international export markets via Cameroon.
Railway will connect landlocked CAR to Cameroon's Kribi deep-water port
The dual-track, heavy-cargo railway is designed to carry 250,000 tonnes of freight per day, with capacity expandable to 300,000 tonnes. It removes a critical infrastructure bottleneck that has constrained mining development in CAR, a landlocked nation with no direct rail access to seaborne export routes.
Project unlocks $2.5 trillion iron ore deposit tied to major magnetic anomaly
A&S Resources' CAR project sits atop what geologists describe as one of the world's largest magnetic anomalies, with resource potential exceeding 20 billion tonnes of predominantly high-grade iron ore. The estimated in-situ gross value of the deposit is approximately $2.5 trillion. The company also holds critical minerals, rare earth elements, and copper resources in the same region.
China Railway Sixth Group to build the line, with startup targeted for late 2026
Construction is being carried out in partnership with China Railway Sixth Group Co., Ltd (CRSG), a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited that has completed more than 6,200 km of railway projects across Africa. Survey and technical studies for the route have already begun.
The financing follows strategic agreements announced earlier this year covering mine development, rail construction, export logistics, and long-term offtake arrangements. A&S Resources expects the project to support employment, skills development, investment, and trade in both CAR and Cameroon, alongside broader industrial and agricultural growth in the region.