The African Development Bank (AfDB) has granted around US$107mn to to finance the construction and the rehabilitation of a 218 km road section linking Burkina Faso to Niger
The project includes the construction of a new 50km road and the rehabilitation of another 168km of damaged Koupala-Gonin-Fada N'Gourma-Piégea- axis and is worth of about US$225mn.
The European Union and Japan have a share of up to 38 per cent in the project, with the State of Burkina Faso contributing to 14 per cent.
“This project will strengthen the competitiveness of the economies of Burkina Faso and Niger, two coastal countries whose imports transit mainly through the ports of Tema and Takoradi, Ghana, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Lome in Togo and Cotonou in Benin,” according to Janvier Litsé, director general in the AfDB for the West Africa region.
Speaking at the presentation of the request for funding to the Council, Janvier Lits pointed out that Burkina Faso and Niger are two member countries of the G-5 Sahel, which groups together five states of the sub-region, including Mali, Mauritania and Chad.
“In addition to the challenge of regional integration, this project will strengthen the resilience of the economies of Burkina Faso and Niger, two countries that deserve to be fully supported in a context marked by the terrorist threat,” he added.
In Burkina Faso, the construction and rehabilitation of 218km of road is expected to ensure continuity of service to the East and Center-East, agricultural and pastoral, which has about 3.5mn people.
The project is in line with Burkina Faso's 2011-2025 transport sector development strategy and is part of the community action programme for infrastructure and road transport of the West African Economic and Monetary Union Commission.
