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 scheme aims to upgrade 188.9 km of classified roads in seven of the country’s governorates: Kef, Kasserine, Sousse, Sfax, Kairouan, Siliana and Gafsa, where substantial economic potential remains unrealized due to transport constraints largely as a result of the poor condition of roads.
A statement by the Bank recently noted that “the project for Phase 3 of the Road Infrastructure Modernization Programme carries a total cost of €86.21 million euros and is being co-financed by the loan of €80.16 million from the Bank. 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 Bank’s participation was approved by the Board of Directors on 9 December last year.”
“The Bank’s intervention will help to improve the quality of Tunisia’s road network and conditions for road users in the target areas. It 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 Modernization Programme.
Speaking on the development, the AfDB Vice President with responsibility for the Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization, Solomon Quaynor, said, “Over the past 10 years, the African Development Bank has helped to renovate and modernize some 4,000 kilometres of roads and 104 kilometres of motorways, 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.”
He added that the upgrading and maintenance of road infrastructure during the third phase of the Road Infrastructure Modernization Programme would “improve prospects for the private sector and local SMEs, as well as creating new jobs for young people.”
