138KM LONG ‘ZINDER-SORAZ-TANOUT’ BITUMEN ROAD INAUGURATED IN NIGER

On the sidelines of the celebration of the tree festival, the President of the Republic S.E.M Mohamed Bazoum inaugurated the 138 km long Zinder – SORAZ – Tanout Bitumen Road. Niger has taken a step forward in accomplishing the dream of a trans-Saharan highway that will link six countries of the Sahel and Maghreb (Algeria, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Tunisia).

In 13 January 2019, Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou, together with Denisa-Elena Lonette, ambassador of the EU Delegation, kicked off the rehabilitation of the 138-km Zinder-Tanout road. “The project is indeed of crucial importance for Niger, not only to facilitate local trade but also to contribute to filling an important gap in the major trans-Saharan axis between Lagos and Algiers. This means connecting six countries across 9 600 km,” stated the EU delegation in Niger.

According to government sources in 2019, the project was estimated to cost FCFA 30 billion (EUR 46 million). The European Union is helping to fund the project.  Road infrastructure is a key part of the EU’s co-operation with Niger. The EU has supported infrastructure development worth FCFA 210 billion (EUR 325 million) over the past decade.  

Source: West Africa Brief | Presidence.du.Niger