The board of directors of the African Development Bank ( AfDB ) has approved a €166.36 million ( US$174 million ) loan to Senegal for the construction of a 200-kilometre highway.

The financing comprises €119.69 million from the AfDB and €46.67 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund, a facility sponsored by the People's Bank of China.

The Dakar-Tivaouane-Saint Louis highway seeks to enhance access to the north of the country. It comprises the construction of a climate-resilient two-lane dual carriageway upgradable to a three-lane dual carriageway.

The project will include the construction of eight interchanges and 113 pedestrian crossings ( comprising 82 underpasses and 31 overpasses ); 50 kilometres of secondary roads and 8km of internal roads with solar public lighting; and the development and/or rehabilitation of social and commercial infrastructure.

Commercial infrastructure, including three bus stations, will also be built or rehabilitated. All of these will be powered by solar photovoltaic energy.

The main areas served by the project are the regions of Dakar and Thies as well as the departments of Saint-Louis, Kebemer and Louga. The area has nearly 7 million inhabitants ( 2019 figures ), or 42.76% of the country’s total population.

"The Dakar-Tivaouane-Saint Louis Highway Construction Project will open up access to the northern regions, considered to be the bread basket of Senegal in terms of rice cultivation, as well as an area with high mining potential," says Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, AfDB acting vice-pesident for regional development and business delivery. "It will contribute to the implementation of the government's strategy to process agricultural products, thereby substantially reducing their transport costs”.

As of July 31 2022, the AfDB Group's active portfolio in Senegal comprised 29 operations with a total value of €2.3 billion.