Trans-Saharan Highway:  MINISTERS OF MEMBER COUNTRIES TO CREATE ECONOMIC CORRIDOR

By AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja

Ministers of public works and Equipment of member countries of the Trans-Saharan Highway project have agreed to speed up the creation of an economic corridor under the development of the Trans-Saharan Highway project.

The Secretary-General of the Liaison Committee of the Trans-Saharan Highway (CLRT), Mohamed Ayadi, stated this during a press briefing on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the CLRT,

Ayadi stressed that the agreement follows a study carried out by UNCTAD which recommended the establishment of an economic corridor through a regional mechanism to ensure “effective” coordination between the member countries to enhance the trans-Saharan road.

This enhancement, he said, will have to go through the facilitation of transit, transport, trade and the generation of investments, all supported by the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAF) .

In the presence of the ministers of the sector of the member countries of the trans-Saharan road project (Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Chad), the Minister of Public Works, Kamel Nasri, for his part, noted the progress of the project at the level of the six countries.

On his own part, the Nigerian Minister of State for Works and Housing, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, recalled that the trans-Saharan road was “almost completed”, calling to move towards an economic management agreement for the corridor between the six member countries.

Speaking, the Tunisian Minister of Equipment and Housing, Sarah Zafarani, affirmed the interest of member countries in carrying out studies and finalizing works in order to support investment.

“Tunisia is committed to working with the member countries of the CLRT to achieve an economic corridor, intensify trade and raise security at the level of this road”, she assured.

For Algeria, this road is considered as a strategic axis, because it crosses 10 wilayas over a distance of 2,022 km, from Algiers to In Guezzam, border with Niger in the extreme south, passing through Blida, Médéa, El-Meniaa, Ain Salah and Tamanrasset.