Chad’s roads set for upgrade after cash boost

A major section of road in Chad is set for an upgrade after securing pivotal grant financing worth US$45mn from the African Development Bank (AfDB)

It unlocks further financial support from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), which will fund the second section of the 205-km Mayo-Singako-Am Timan road at an estimated cost of US$275.5mn.

It will see the asphalting of the 49.5-km Kyabé-Mayo section of the Kyabé-Singako road, including the construction of a 55-metre bridge.

The road project will open up southern and eastern regions of landlocked Chad, reduce vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of local populations, especially women and young people, the AfDB said in a statement.

It will also improve the transportation of goods and people between Kyabé and Singako by providing an all-weather road, facilitating the flow of agricultural and animal products from the rich areas of Moyen-Chari and Salamat to the consumer centers of Sarh, Moundou, N’Djamena and Abéché.

The project will also enhance accessibility to Moyen-Chari from neighbouring Sudan.

“The [Moyen-Chari] region, including Kyabé, Singako and Am Timan, has strong economic potential,” said Tahir Hamid Nguilin, Minister of State for Finance, Budget, Economy, Planning and International Cooperation.

“It is Chad’s main agricultural basin and livestock area, rich in fish resources. Fish are supplied from Moyen-Chari to a large part of the country's south and even to foreign markets.”

Nguilin signed the grant agreement in N’Djamena with the AfDB and other officials.

The Kyabé-Mayo section of the Kyabé-Singako road is described as one of the ‘missing links’ in the N’Djamena-Moundou-Sarh-Kyabé-Am Timan-Abéché corridor and forms part of the priority structuring network that Chad’s government aims to develop to ensure nationwide coverage and permanent accessibility.

Work on the road project is now scheduled to run from this year through to 2029, providing a boost to local construction firms and contractors.

“The African Development Bank is a strategic partner of Chad, particularly in the transport sector,” said Claude N’Kodia, the bank’s acting representative in Chad.

“The construction of the road section will reduce the overall cost of transport in Moyen-Chari…and improve the living conditions of local people thanks to easier access to health and education facilities and to the country’s main consumer centres.”

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AfDB approves US44.3mn grant for bridge connecting Cameroon and Chad