A 750-km-long railway line built by two Chinese companies was recently inaugurated at the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. The link will connect landlocked Ethiopia to  Djibouti at the Red Sea. In what is seen to be a major boost to the economies of both the countries, the railway line will speed up the development of manufacturing industries in both the countries as well as help increase employment opportunities for citizens. Operations will be managed by Chinese staff for the first five years until the local staff is fully trained; staff have also been sent to China and Russia for specialised training programs. Construction of the Ethiopian section of the route was completed at a cost of around US $3·4 billion, 70% of which was financed by the China Exim Bank and the rest by the Ethiopian government.