The project, known as the Egypt–Chad highway, is billed by both governments as a strategic corridor that would expand trade, ease the movement of goods and people, and give landlocked Chad its shortest route to the Mediterranean.
Work on Egyptian segment reaches 15 percent
Kamel El-Wazir, Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, said construction of the East Oweinat–Al-Kufra stretch—Egypt’s portion of the road—has reached 15 percent completion.
He said additional surveying and earthworks on the stretches running through Libya toward Umm Jaras, Abéché and N’Djamena are being prepared under agreements involving Egypt’s Arab Contractors and Libyan and Chadian authorities.
Egypt is also moving ahead with plans to establish the Al-Kufra land port on the Egypt–Libya border as a new trade gateway.
High-level talks in Cairo
The Joint Committee meetings were attended by Egypt’s foreign minister and senior cabinet members, alongside a Chadian delegation including the ministers of infrastructure, livestock, health, higher education and water and energy.
El-Wazir held separate talks with Chadian Infrastructure Minister Amir Idriss and Livestock Minister Abdelrahim Al-Tayeb to discuss cooperation in transport, industry and animal production.
He said Egypt is seeking to deepen economic cooperation with African states and that Egyptian firms, particularly in construction and transport, are ready to take part in development projects in Chad. Arab Contractors is already involved in several Chadian infrastructure works.
Chad calls highway a ‘generational project’
Chad’s infrastructure minister praised Egypt’s pace of development and described the highway as a “generational project” that could serve as a major economic link between the two countries.
Talks also focused on expanding cooperation in livestock and meat production. El-Wazir said Egypt is coordinating with private-sector companies to establish livestock farms and automated slaughterhouses in Chad, with facilities for chilled and processed meat exports to Egypt and Europe.
Other areas discussed included dairy processing, leather industries, veterinary pharmaceuticals, agricultural processing and feed factories.
Permanent committee to oversee project
El-Wazir said the two countries agreed to establish a permanent technical committee to monitor implementation of the highway, set unified timelines and address obstacles.
Cairo and N’Djamena also agreed to widen the role of Egyptian companies in Chadian development projects and launch training programmes for Chadian engineers and technicians in road construction and transport.
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