African Development Bank grants Tunisia €80mn loan to upgrade roads

The African Development Bank has granted Tunisia a loan of €80.16 million to implement the next phase of the country’s road improvement scheme.

"The project for Phase three of the Road Infrastructure Modernisation Programme carries a total cost of €86.21 million, and is being co-financed by the loan of €80.16 million from the bank," says an official release. This covers 92.98 percent of the total cost of the project with a supporting contribution of €6.05 million from the Tunisian government, the release added.

"The plan aims to upgrade 188.9 km of classified roads in seven governorates: Kef, Kasserine, Sousse, Sfax, Kairouan, Siliana and Gafsa where substantial economic potential remains unrealised due to transport constraints largely as a result of the poor condition of roads."

The intervention will help to create an efficient and sustainable transport system, which can support growth and create favourable conditions for the movement of goods and people in and between Tunisia’s regions. "The transport sector plays an important role in the Tunisian economy, accounting for about five percent of GDP and providing 160,000 jobs, directly and indirectly. The project, which will run from 2025 to 2030, is a continuation of two earlier phases of the Road Infrastructure Modernisation Programme."

Solomon Quaynor, Vice President, Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation, African Development Bank says: "Over the past 10 years, the African Development Bank has helped to renovate and modernise some 4,000 kilometres of roads and 104 kilometres of motorway as well as creating various associated facilities in Tunisia. This work has greatly improved the level of service provided by the road network, making various routes more convenient by the installation of bridges, and facilitating access to regions and to their socio-economic potential.

"The Bank’s intervention will also benefit micro-enterprises focused on road maintenance, enabling infrastructure to be maintained over the long term, while at the same time creating market opportunities for entrepreneurs. Road upgrades will improve access to regions with high agricultural value-added, contributing to Tunisia’s food security, thanks to the development of value chains supported by the private sector."

Improvement of road sections linking border regions of Tunisia and Algeria will help to achieve regional balance as regards road infrastructure quality in disadvantaged areas, the release added.