The government of Chad is set to receive a US$170 million grant from the World Bank for the Chad Connectivity and Integration Project (CCIP), which aims to complete the country’s section of the Trans-Saharan Road (TSR), an estimated 9,900km route linking Algeria, Tunisia, Mali, Niger, Chad and Nigeria.

The scheme will focus on paving the 55km Liwa-Rig Rig route in west-central Chad on the border with Niger, which will also help facilitate the flow of traffic between the capital city Ndjamena and the provinces of Lac, Kanem and Hadjer-Lamis surrounding Lake Chad.

The 580km Chadian section of the TSR consists of the Ndjamena-Massaguet-Massakory-Ngouri-Bol-Liwa-Rig Rig-Daboua-Niger border sections, most of which are paved or under construction with financing from various donors. The vulnerability of the network and the degraded state of the road infrastructure are obstacles to agricultural productivity and access to markets.

The CCIP’s scope of work includes constructing 12km of access roads connecting Bol, capital of the Lac province, to the TSR and spot improvements on about 50km of priority rural roads to help unlock agricultural and pastoral areas and provide adequate evacuation routes for populations in case of climate events.

The project will also look at improving the navigability of Lake Chad, which is expected to facilitate a shift of traffic from roads to the lake, leading to lower emissions and reduced transport costs.

Together with paving the Liwa-Rig Rig road, the enhancement of the lake’s navigability is expected to provide connections to major regional corridors via Niamey in Niger and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. Chad will also gain new access to maritime gateways in Benin’s Port of Cotonou, ports in Nigeria’s Lagos and Togo’s Lome, in addition to the Douala port in Cameroon, which is Chad’s main port for international trade.

Work under the Lake Chad component includes undertaking a feasibility study for the modernisation of transport on the lake and the Chari and Logone rivers, as well as the marking of channels, dredging of shoals (high points) and sustainable removal of invasive plants to facilitate navigation. Based on the outcome of the feasibility study, the project could finance the construction of landing facilities such as small berths, ramps, small yards, storage facilities and passenger shelters in selected areas.

The CCIP will also support the modernisation of customs administrations and other border services through the renovation and equipment of selected border posts. To facilitate exports, the scheme will finance the rehabilitation/construction and equipment of energy-efficient border crossing facilities. In addition, it will fund the construction of a modern vehicle inspection centre in Ndjamena.

Moreover, the scheme will finance the construction of energy-efficient and solar-powered commercial and agricultural logistics facilities such as warehouses and markets in Bol, Bagasola and other areas.

The population of the CCIP’s broader zone of influence is estimated to be slightly over 3 million inhabitants across five regions, with 89% living in rural areas.

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Territorial Access and Road Maintenance (MIDER) and the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation and National Meteorology (MTACM). The scheme was approved by the World Bank on 18 February and the overall completion date is 27 February 2031.

The Chadian government is also looking to construct a road linking to its North African neighbours Egypt and Libya. In late February, a delegation from the Egyptian government met with President Mahamat Deby to discuss cooperation for trade. The head of state highlighted the importance of the proposed 1,730km Egypt-Libya-Chad road, which will run from the city of Abeche, the main city in Chad’s central east, passing through Amdjarass up north and through Libya to Egypt.

According to the Chadian government, the route is crucial to strengthen economic and social ties with Egypt, and will facilitate the transport of goods and people across the Sahelian region. It is expected to give Chad access to Egyptian ports and a connection to the Maghreb region, transforming the country into a commercial center connected to the Red Sea.

The Egypt-Libya-Chad road is divided into three sections, with the first 400km section situated in Egypt, starting from the east of the border town of Al-Aweinat and running to the Kufra crossing. Work is being implemented by local companies.

The second section is 390km long, stretching from the Kufra region in southeastern Libya and extending to the border with Chad. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in September 2024 between Egypt’s Arab Contractors Company and the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund to commence the spatial and environmental studies and the initial design for the route.

The results of these studies will be presented to the Libyan authorities for approval, followed by the finalisation of official agreements between the three governments in order for work to be launched on the scheme.

The Libyan fund said the proposed route is a commercial desert road for transit trade that will connect Libya, Chad and Egypt and reach the Red Sea. It is the first phase of a project, future phases of which will involve building the first commercial transit route in Libya.

The fund said the scheme would contribute to increasing the flow of maritime imports through Libyan ports on the Mediterranean coast to the landlocked African countries located south of the country.

The final section of the Egypt-Libya-Chad road covers 930km within Chad, running from the border with Libya to the city of Amdjarass and ending at the city of Abeche. The Chadian authorities signed an MoU in mid-December 2024 with Arab Contractors Company to begin surveying and conducting environmental studies, along with the preliminary design.

Top photo: Algeria road (Source: UNCTAD)