The Minister of Infrastructure and Road Maintenance, Aziz Mohamed Saleh, and Chairman of Egypt’s Arab Contractors Company, Ahmed El Assar signed an agreement protocol that will foresee the launching of the studies for the construction of the Egypt-Libya-Chad Transit Road.
As reported by quite a number of Egyptian media outlets, the signed protocol will be inclusive of the culmination of the detailed technical studies that are necessary to commence the implementation of this route. This initiative comes in as part of Egypt’s broader framework for the development of infrastructure and also the promotion of cross-border exchange.
Also read: Libya Plans for the Libya-Chad-Niger Railway Project
Significance of the Egypt-Libya-Chad Transit Road
This road project will be important in that it will improve existing communication between the two countries. This was revealed by the Chad Minister Aziz Mohamed Saleh.
Additionally, it will be recalled that the Arab Contractors Company had earlier signed an agreement last September. This agreement was signed with the eastern-based and Hafter controlled Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund. This was signed for the part of the middle section of the road that will be located within Libya.
Also read: The West Africa Road Infrastructure and Investment Forum 2020
The Egyptian-Chadian agreement therefore culminates contracts and agreements for building this road for all parts that will be located in both Chad and Libya. This allows the immediate Commencement of both the study and implementation of works on the road project.
Similar Projects in West Africa
In another similar transborder highway project, the West African states plan the development of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor. This road project will link five major West African countries.
This road will span 1,028 kilometres and will link Ivory Coast to Nigeria while passing through Ghana Togo and Benin. The development works of this project have been planned to commence in 2026. It is expected to be complete by the year 2030.
The feasibility studies, funding options for this road and institutional arrangements for getting the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority operational have already been looked into.
According to the Director of the Bank’s Infrastructure and Urban Development, Mike Salawou expects the road to become an economic corridor.
This toll-free motorway will have a total of four-six lanes, with upto eight lanes in Lagos. This road will be divided in sections that will pass through the five countries that will be of different lengths.
This road project is expected to link the West African transport corridors. It will also connect the inland regions of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to all the eight ports that are connected within the corridor. This road project was revealed by the AfDB at an online workshop that was held on November. It also revealed all the associated partners of the project.
Indeed these transborder road projects are foresen to bring economic impact in the regions they shall pass.
