Desert route requires connection

Only the last section of the Trans-Sahara highway remains to be built. The 4,600km highway is close to completion with just a 223km stretch in Niger requiring construction. Six countries have been working on the new route, Algeria, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Tunisia. Algeria’s 2,400km section, the longest single stretch, was completed in mid 2009. Niger is however one of the world’s poorest nations and is struggling to fund the work on the remaining 223km portion of the route, which runs through its territory. Algeria is keen for financial institutions to help provide the US$241 million required for the work. Work on the project has been steered by the Liaison Committee for the Trans-Sahara Highway (CLRT). The highway provides a vital trade route to connect from North Africa to West Africa and will replace the difficult and dangerous roads used previously.