Tunisia and the African Development Bank (AfDB), on Monday afternoon, inked a loan agreement for €103.95 million (equivalent to 335 million Dinars) to finance the Road Infrastructure Modernisation Project, Phase 2 (PMIR II).
The second phase of this project aims at rehabilitating 230.6 km of roads in the governorates of Siliana, Kasserine, Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid and Gafsa. It will also include the development of Enfidha – Kairouan road into 2×2 lanes, said Minister of Public Works and Housing Sarra Zaafrani Jenzri during the signing ceremony, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Economy.
The investments planned within the framework of this project will contribute to reducing regional disparities by concentrating a large part of the operations in the disadvantaged governorates, said Minister of Economy and Planning Samir Saied.
The aim is to respond to the evolution of traffic, ensure better mobility of users on the road network and promote an efficient, inclusive and sustainable transport system serving to intensify intra and inter regional traffic.
Saied said that the modernisation of the infrastructure will be given special importance in the development plan (2023/2026), which is currently being prepared.
The programme will contribute to creating 204 microenterprises
This project represents the second phase of a comprehensive road infrastructure modernisation programme launched, in 2016, with a total cost of €219.35 million.
According to the minister, the first phase of this programme, which is currently underway and 80% finished, will be completed by the end of this year.
The first phase targeted the rehabilitation of 719 km of roads in 21 governorates and the creation of 2,602 permanent jobs.
The modernisation programme will contribute to the creation of 204 microenterprises, i.e. 92 in phase I and 112 in phase II.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Director-General of the AfDB Regional Office for North Africa Mohamed El Azizi said the transport sector is among the most important sectors in terms of cooperation with Tunisia. The AfDB has succeeded, during the last decade, in modernising more than 70% of the Tunisian road network for a sum of 1.2 billion dollars.
He also indicated that the AfDB plans to provide further support to road sector reforms and to diversify its future actions to target other transport sub-sectors such as urban, rail and maritime.
El Azizi said a team of experts from the Bank will visit Tunisia in the coming days to identify projects to be implemented in the coming years.
