The foundation for the Dar es-Salaam-Morogoro railway project, a joint venture by Turkish and Portuguese companies to link East Africa in Tanzania to the Indian Ocean, has been laid.Tanzanian President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, Works, Transport and Communication Minister Makame M. Mbarawa, Turkish Ambassador to Dar es-Salaam Yasemin Eralp, Yapı Merkezi Construction Deputy Chairman Erdem Arıoğlu and other relevant parties attended the ground laying ceremony in Dar es-Salaam.When the five-stage railway line, linking Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo with Tanzania, is completed, East Africa's fastest train will be operational.Constructed by a joint venture by Turkish Yapı Merkezi and Portuguese Mota-Engil, this railroad should be a breakthrough in trade and tourism, and countries like Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be able to utilize rich underground resources.Previously, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid a visit to Tanzania in a three-day African tour in January to improve ties between Turkey and the continent. During his visit to Tanzania, President Erdoğan attended a series of meetings, signing nine collaboration agreements in the fields of economy, defense and education.Stating that both tete-a-tete and delegation meetings were very fruitful and resulted in agreements to further strengthen ties between Turkey and Tanzania, Erdoğan said they is great potential for collaboration between the two countries. Erdoğan had announced that Turkey would further strengthen bilateral ties with the country with new projects in the sectors of economy, trade, railway, tourism, agriculture, industry and construction.