As with many railways in developing and developed, countries, Sub-Saharan Africa's railways are now at a crossroads. Facing increased competition, the African railways will play an important role in the national and regional transportation systems only if they reform their management practices and redefine their economic role by concentrating on the market segments where they perform better than their competitors.

This note reviews concessioning of rail operations as a partnership between the State and a private operator. Where the state has the will to reform railway transport completely and wishes to make full use of the strengths of the private sector, both foreign and national, the concessioning of railway operations seems one of the most promising techniques for transforming the railroad into a true commercial enterprise.