Project Showcase

The project concerns feasibility and future development of the Kinshasa-Ilebo railway link, often discussed together with the Kinshasa-Brazzaville road-rail bridge agenda. The strategic rationale is to overcome a long-standing bottleneck in the DRC transport system by connecting Kinshasa more effectively to the interior and to regional rail corridors.Historically, DRC s transport network has depended heavily on a combination of river, road and ageing rail assets. AfDB-backed studies considered the feasibility of extending rail connectivity and improving intermodal movement between Kinshasa, Ilebo and neighbouring corridors. This is particularly important for freight movements between the Atlantic gateway, the Congo River basin and mining/agricultural hinterlands.Validation note: external AfDB sources validate the feasibility-study scope and the approximate 1,015 km survey/study distance, but they do not validate the current construction capex_cost of 16,939 USD million. The cost should remain provisional.Sources reviewed: AfDB MapAfrica, Feasibility Study of the Extension of the Kinshasa-Ilebo Railway, https://mapafrica.afdb.org/en/projects/46002-P-Z1-DC0-014; AfDB, Study on the Road-Rail Bridge between Kinshasa and Brazzaville and the Kinshasa-Ilebo Railroad, https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/document/multinational-study-on-the-road-rail-bridge-between-kinshasa-and-brazzaville-and-the-kinshasa-ilebo-railroad-8186.

The Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline is a proposed international gas pipeline corridor intended to move Nigerian gas northward through Niger to Algeria, where it would connect to existing Mediterranean export infrastructure. The database contains both a regional Trans-Sahara record and a Nigeria-section record; these should be treated as related components, not independent additive projects.The project has a long history, dating back to early Nigeria-Algeria cooperation and renewed through trilateral Nigeria-Niger-Algeria ministerial processes. Recent sources report renewed agreements to update feasibility work and accelerate the project. The strategic case is gas monetisation, regional energy security and potential exports to Europe, but security, financing, reserve commitment, competing pipeline routes and energy-transition demand risks remain material.Validation note: public sources commonly cite total project costs in the USD 10-20 billion range, with recent reporting around USD 13 billion. The database capex values for ID 2004 and ID 762 should be checked to avoid double counting the regional pipeline and Nigeria section.Sources reviewed: Global Energy Monitor, Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline, https://www.gem.wiki/Trans-Sahara_Gas_Pipeline; Pipeline Journal, Algeria, Nigeria and Niger sign agreements to advance TSGP, https://www.pipeline-journal.net/news/algeria-nigeria-niger-sign-agreements-advance-trans-saharan-gas-pipeline-project; Flyvbjerg et al., What causes cost overrun in transport infrastructure projects, https://arxiv.org/abs/1304.4476.

The governments of Kenya and Uganda and Rwanda have committed to the development of a standard gauge railway that links the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Uganda with Mombasa port in Kenya. This project entails the section from Nairobi to the Kenya/Uganda border at Malaba.

The project entails the construction of the 2000 km railway line from Douala Port through Cameroon to N'Djamena in Chad.

The governments of Kenya and Uganda and Rwanda have committed to the development of a standard gauge railway that links the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Uganda with Mombasa port in Kenya. This project entails the section from Mombasa port to Nairobi in Kenya.

The governments of Kenya and Uganda and Rwanda have committed to the development of a standard gauge railway that links the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Uganda with Mombasa port in Kenya. This project entails the section from Kampala to Kasese in Uganda.

The governments of Kenya and Uganda and Rwanda have committed to the development of a standard gauge railway that links the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Uganda with Mombasa port in Kenya. This project entails the section from Kasese in Uganda, to the border with Rwanda at Mirama Hills.

The governments of Kenya and Uganda and Rwanda have committed to the development of a standard gauge railway that links the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Uganda with Mombasa port in Kenya. This project entails the section from the Mirama Hills border (Uganda/Rwanda) to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

The Nacala Railway Corridor Project will transport approximately 18 million tons of coal, derived from the expansion of Moatize Mine (Mozambique) through a railway system connecting the existing mine in Moatize to a new coal terminal in Nacala Velha (Mozambique). The project was funded by Vale, and has the potential of being developed into a transport corridor for Mozambique's Tete Province, and potentially Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The railway line is located in the north-western region of Mozambique, starting at Moatize in the Tete Province, going through Malawi and connecting to the existing railway network at Nkaya Junction. From here the route follows the exisitng alignment through Entre Lagos, Cuamba and Nampula. Finally, in the region of Monapo, the railway follows a new route up to the new coal terminal at Nacala Velha. Aurecon previously developed FEL 1, 2 and 3 (Front End Loading) studies for the development of the corridor. The Detail Design (FEL4), included the design of the entire railway line and its associated infrastructure from the mine loadout station to the car dumper at the proposed new port terminal at Nacala Velha. The railway line is designed for a 20.5t axle load. Apart from providing an export conduit for the client, the rail corridor will have direct- and indirect social benefits to the larger community in terms of job creation, improved mobility (passenger train services) and the economic development of the region.

A 2x3 Highway from Abidjan to Lagos through Accra, Lome and Cotonou covering a large proportion of West Africa"’s population and linking very vibrant seaports which serve all the landlocked countries of the region being Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The project also includes provision for trade and transit facilitation, corridor management and the development of economic zones such as logistics centers, industrial zones, cross-border and regional markets to ensure the integration of the region and economic development.

The port expansion for Durban are driven by the major container expansions required to ensure that the port component of the Durban to Gauteng Freight Corridor can meet future demand. Short term expansions will be made within the existing port followed by medium term development of a complementary new port on the old airport site, followed by a long term expansion in Bayhead.

Tanzania is constructing the high speed electric standard gauge railway line from the port of Dar es Salaam to the inland Lake Victoria (at Mwanza) (1219 Km) with a target speed for passenger trains travelling at up to 160kph and cargo trains at up to 120kph and a branch from Isaka to Rusumo connects Keza in Kigali (371 Km)

Tanzania is constructing the high speed electric standard gauge railway line from Isaka to Rusumo connects Keza in Kigali (371 Km)

The governments of Kenya and Uganda and Rwanda have committed to the development of a standard gauge railway that links the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Uganda with Mombasa port in Kenya. This project entails the section from the Malaba border post (between Kenya and Uganda) to the Ugandan capital Kampala.

Construction and upgrading of the approx. 2,000 km single carriageway road from Yaounde (Cameroon) to Brazzaville (Congo). In particular, this project involves the section in Cameroon, from Yaounde to the border with Congo.

Upgrading of the 1,602 km of single carriageway road from Libreville (Gabon) to Brazzaville (Congo). In particular, this project involves the section in Gabon, from Libreville to the border with Congo.

Expansion of the Maputo port, including the dredging of the port from its current 9,4 m draught to 11 m to accommodate the larger Panamax vessels, which will improve the port"’s competitiveness in terms of bulk and container traffic, and expansion of the coal terminal.

The Ouesso-Bangui-Ndjamena road is a link in the Pointe Noire-Brazzaville / Kinshasa-Bangui-Ndjamena multimodal transport corridor. The road is also part of the network of the priority program of the consensual master plan of transport in Central Africa (PDCAT). The corridor connects the capitals of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad. It also provides the CAR and Chad with a second access to the sea. A highway network of approximately 1310 km, which starts from Ouesso in North Congo to MbaA¯koro (near Moundou) in the South of Chad while passing through Bangui in Central African Republic. It comprises the following two sections: (i) the Ouesso-Bangui section in the equatorial forest to the South, which is about 640 km long and lies across Congo and the CAR; and (ii) the Bangui-MbaA¯koro section in the savannah woodland to the North, which is about 670 km long and lies in CAR and Chad territory;

The Nacala Railway Corridor Project will transport approximately 18 million tons of coal, derived from the expansion of Moatize Mine (Mozambique) through a railway system connecting the existing mine in Moatize to a new coal terminal in Nacala Velha (Mozambique). The project was funded by Vale, and has the potential of being developed into a transport corridor for Mozambique's Tete Province, and potentially Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The coal terminal will have the capacity to handle 30 million tons per annum.

Construction of the Chad section of the 1,064 km / 400 kV Chad-Cameroon Transmission Interconnector.

This project covers the Senegal portion of the Dakar-Ndjamena-Djibouti Road/ Railway project. This is a multimodal transboundary transport corridor including Senegal, Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti. It is a combination of the Trans-African Highway 5 (Dakar to N’djamena) and 6 (N’djamena to Djibouti), a combined distance covered of 8,715 km.  However over time, the railway transport route between Dakar and Bamako has become degraded and and created hindrances in the international services for passenger transportation. In order to improve the competitiveness of the route, the two states financed a study in order to define the best way to finance or to participate in the funding of the Dakar- Bamako railway infrastructure upgrade. The project will have the following components: Rehabilitation of the platform and reconstruction of the engineering works to 22.5 tons / axle; Railway rehabilitation (main roads and service roads) Implementation of a train cantonment system and a telecommunications system in line with UIC railway standards; Acquisition of rolling stock and railway equipment; Development and renovation of station facilities. The Dakar-Bamako Rail Project has been prioritised by the Government of Senegal as the first of three phases of the Project. It entails the rehabilitation of the existing railway network between Dakar and Bamako (1,228 km), with a total project cost of US$ 2.2 billion.

Rehabilitation and upgrading of the 197 km of road which would be the first toll road in Tanzania (First 100 km 6 lanes and then 4 lanes). The project requires the construction of a new road, adjacent to the existing road, that will give drivers the choice between paying for a superior toll road, constructed to expressway standards, or making use of the existing road. The project comprises four and six lane carriageways, 8 interchanges, 7 toll plazas and weigh bridges as well as a number of bridges. Tanzania"’s Roads Act 2007 recognises the Dar es Salaam - Chalinze - Morogoro road section as part of the main TANZAM Highway and Central Corridor T-1 route which connects Dar es Salaam and its port with land locked neighbouring countries.

Expansion of Pointe Noire Port (Republic of Congo).

The proposed Kaléta dam project entails the construction of a gravity dam, with a 240 MW capacity. The Kaléta site is located in Guinea, 115 km northeast of Conakry and 130 km upstream of the mouth of the Konkouré River. This project was previously part of the larger Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (OMVG) project involving the four countries, namely The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. Guinea, however, decided to develop Kaléta as a stand-alone. Interconnection to other OMVG countries remains intended in future. The project will have the following characteristics: Storage hydropower plant with 240 MW of hydropower capacity Net average generation: 660 GWh/year Gravity dam with maximum height: 22 m, crest length: 1060 m, reservoir storage: 23 million m3.  

The Lobito Port Expansion and Modernization Project is a major infrastructure initiative to transform the Port of Lobito into a modern, high-capacity Atlantic gateway for the Lobito Corridor. The project scope includes the construction of a new 1,250-meter multipurpose terminal with three berths, dredging of the access channel to -16.5 meters, and the installation of modern container handling equipment, including ship-to-shore gantry cranes. It also involves expanding the container yard, building new warehouses for bulk and general cargo, and enhancing rail-port connectivity through the rehabilitation of the Lobito Corridor railway linking Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Zambia. The project is designed to increase the port's annual container handling capacity from approximately 200,000 TEUs to over 1 million TEUs. Key stakeholders include the Government of Angola (Ministry of Transport), the Port of Lobito Authority (APL), the Lobito Corridor Concessionaire (a consortium of Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis), and international development partners like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). A significant recent development was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2023 between the U.S., EU, Angola, DRC, and Zambia to support the Lobito Corridor, including the port.

Construction of 863 km of DRC National Road No.2 (Goma-Kisangani) single carriageway road.

This project forms part of the West Africa North Core transmission interconnector which connects the power markets of Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin/Togo. 

Development of new container terminal (berths 13 and 14) with dredging of the access channel at Dar es Salaam Port.

The project forms part of the upgrading of the 1,200 km of narrow gauge railway between Abidjan and Ouagadougou. In particular it involves the section in Ivory Coast, from Abidjan to the border with Burkina Fasso.

Construction of a 500kV high voltage transmission line and associated Substation or Converter station that connects the power networks of Egypt and Sudan to facilitate trading in electricity and promote power systems stability. The project comprises the update of project studies.

The 225 kV Côte d'Ivoire - Liberia - Sierra Leone - Guinea Interconnection Project (CLSG) is a major regional power transmission infrastructure project. It involves the construction of approximately 1,303 km of 225 kV double-circuit transmission line, connecting the national grids of Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Key components include 10 new substations (4 in Liberia, 5 in Sierra Leone, 1 in Guinea), the extension of the existing Man substation in Côte d'Ivoire, installation of Static Var Compensators (SVCs) at five locations, and the establishment of a Regional SCADA system and control centers. The project is a flagship of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and is designed to facilitate electricity trade, improve grid stability, and provide electricity access to communities along the corridor using the Shield Wire Scheme.

This project includes development of 3 new berths on the eastern side of Dar es Salaam port, linked by a bridge south of the existing dockyard and fronting the new Kigamboni city extension. The new berths will allow avoidance of access chanel limitations making it possible to handle 6th generation vessels.

Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project (RRFHP) Development Objective is to increase the supply of electricity to the national grids of Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi. It Comprises of construction of an 80 MW power plant including the associated generation substation. The project is jointly financed by the Governments of Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania with credits and grants totaling to USD 340 million equivalent for the Civil Works and Electromechanical Works. AfDB parallel-financing is associated with the transmission lines to each of the three countries at a cost of USD 121 Million. These include 220kV transmission lines double circuit running 161 km from the power plant to Gitega substation in Burundi, 119km double circuit line from the Power plant to Shango sub-station in Rwanda and 98.2 km double circuit line from the power plant to Nyakanazi sub-station in Tanzania.The project has the following components CP1 (Civil Works); CP2 (Electromechanical works); Livelihoods Restoration Program (LRP); and Local Area Development Program (LADP). Out of the USD 340 million, the budget breakdown for each of the component is as follows: (i)LADP allocation is USD 15 million (USD 5 million for each country (Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania); (ii)LRP allocation is about USD 711,612 (only for PAPs); and (iii)The remaining is for CP1, CP2, OE, and PIU operations.The three governments mandated and entrusted Nile Basin Initiative /Nile Equatorial lakes Subsidiary Action Program Coordination Unit (NBI/NELSAP CU) to coordinate the implementation of the project. The Nile Basin Trust Fund (NBTF) financed the Feasibility and Design Studies to a tune of USD 7.72 million. The studies were carried out from 2005 and completed in 2013. The studies were undertaken by NBI/NELSAP CU. The Project was approved by the World Bank in 2014; procurement of CP1 Contractor and CP2 Contractor was started in 2015 and completed and Contracts signed on 9th November, 2016; mobilization for construction works started in December 2016/January 2017; and the project completion date is 2021.

The project includes the construction of a road and rail bridge between Brazzaville in Congo and Kinshasa in the DRC. The project also includes road and rail links in both countries as well as joint border control points (One Stop Border Posts). A border control post will be located at each end of the bridge and will house border control officers. Inspections will only be conducted on one side of the river (i.e. on the departure side). The existing road infrastructure will be extended by 10km to connect the bridge to the two cities. The railway bridge will have a total length of 1 575m and 10 bays divided as follows: 2 bays of 120m, 4 bays of 152m, 2 bays of 242m and two bays of 121.5m. The profile on the other side of the road consists of two unidirectional sidewalks with two lanes of 3m. The total width of the road, including sidewalks, is 16.24 m. The two large cable-stayed spans (242m and 152m), located in the river along the banks, give the bridge a gateway to the capitals. The bridge will be located in Maloukou Trechot, 6km from the city of Maluku in Congo. The site is 55km from the two capitals along the river. The bridge is part of a larger project, the Kinshasa-Ilebo railway project, which aims to improve the rail network in Africa. The larger project is expected to contribute to increased regional trade and accelerate regional integration between Central and Southern Africa. The project is expected to allow for cheaper and faster river crossing by passengers and freight. The beneficiaries of the project will therefore include the two countries whose fisci will benefit from increased trade, the increased presence of domestic and foreign companies in both countries, from private transporters and the economic and social benefits of liberated movement of both populations

The Lobito Corridor Railway Rehabilitation Project involves the comprehensive rehabilitation and modernization of the 1,344 km Benguela Railway (CFB) from the deep-water port of Lobito in Angola to the border town of Luau, which connects to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) rail network. The project scope includes the complete reconstruction of the railway line, replacement of sleepers and rails, rehabilitation of 67 stations, modernization of signaling and telecommunications systems, procurement of new locomotives and rolling stock, and the reconstruction of 35 major bridges. The corridor is a critical link for exporting copper, cobalt, and other minerals from the DRC's Katanga Province and Zambia's Copperbelt region to global markets via the Atlantic Ocean. The project is implemented by the Lobito Atlantic Railway Consortium, a partnership formed by Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis, under a 30-year concession agreement with the governments of Angola, DRC, and Zambia. The concession was formally signed in July 2022. The project is part of the broader Lobito Corridor initiative, which includes complementary port and road infrastructure.

This project entails the upgrading of the Mombasa -Voi road to a dual carriageway. An alternative short term solution is to rehabilitate the road and provide climbing lanes along sections where heavy vehicles reach crawl speed as a result of steep gradients.

The proposed Sambangalou dam project entails the construction of a gravity dam, with a 128 MW capacity, and a 3.8 km3 reservoir. The dam is located in Senegal, 930 km upstream from the mouth of the Gambia river and about 25 km south of Kédougou. The reservoir overlaps Senegal and Guinea. The project now has two components, i.e. Sambangalou Dam and an interconnection transmission line which will link the Sambangalou and Kaleta dams to the electric grid of the four member countries. The project was formerly part of larger OMVG Energy project involving fuoir countries (with Kaleta dam in Guinea and interconnecting power grid), however it split in 2011 after Guinea decided to develop Kaleta dam as a standalone.  

Le projet de route Ketta-Djoum consiste en sa deuxième phase au bitumage de la section Sembe (Congo)-Mintom (Cameroun). Les travaux concernent les tronçons Sembe-Souanké-Ntam(143km) au Congo et Mintom-Lele-Ntam(90km) au Cameroun, les études et les appuis institutionnels au secteur des transports, l'appui A  la facilitation du transport et du commerce, et le soutien A  la biodiversité.

The project will enable a direct road link between the Central Corridor and Lake Victoria at Kigoma.

Widening of the road from 6m to 7m with a paved shoulder to harmonise with EAC standard. The Muyinga-Gitega road is about 104 km on the RN12. This road forms part of the shortest route to the port of Dar es Salaam and carries 60% of international traffic with Burundi.

La réalisation du projet se fera en deux phases suivant le financement actuel.Il comprend des travaux routiers, des mesures de facilitation de transport et d'autres activités connexes de développement. La phase1 comprend le bitumage de 144 km (Ndende-Doussala) au Gabon et 93 km (Dolisie-Kibangu) au Congo, la réhabilitation de 130 km (Kibangu-Ngongo-frontière du Gabon) et la mise en oeuvre des mesures de facilitation de transport. La phase 2 comprendra le bitumage des tronçons restants entre Kibangu et Ngongo,l'aménagement de la voie de contournement de la ville de pointe noire,l'aménagement des ports secs de Dolisie(Congo) et de Ndende(Gabon) et la mise en oeuvre des mesures de facilitation de transport.

The project involves the extension of Chingola - Solwezi Railway to the border with Angola at Jimbe, to service new mines in the Copperbelt region. Angola has already commenced construction from Luena on the Lobito Corridor towards Jimbe which lies on the Angola- Zambia border. This project will see full rail service on the Lobito Corridor.

The project involves the construction of the Koukoutamba multi-purpose dam (previously known as Gourbassy dam) between Mali and Senegal. A feasibility study and preliminary design for the Gourbassy Dam was completed by SNC LAVALIN International in 2012 for the OMVS Secretariat (Haut Commissariat de l"’OMVS), with funding from the World Bank under the project PGIRE 1. The main summary report is dated July 2012. Since then, some (rather modest) progress has been made on further project preparation and mobilisation of finance. Activities that have been undertaken include: preparation of terms of reference for detailed design studies and tender documents. The preparation of studies to assess the cost of building the dam; and development of plans to mobilise finance, including planning for a donor round table and sending out funding requests to potential partners has been done.

Strategically located half-way down the coast of Namibia, with direct access to principal shipping routes, Walvis Bay is a natural gateway for international trade. Walvis Bay is Namibia's largest commercial port, receiving approximately 3,000 vessel calls each year and handling about 5 million tonnes of cargo. In order to deal with even higher levels of throughput, cargo-handling facilities have been improved, and Namibia Port Authority (Namport) remains committed to infrastructure development, in line with Namport's Mission to provide efficient and effective port and related services. The project will expand the Port of Walvis Bay"’s container handling as well as bulk handling capacity ahead of demand by the construction of a 30 hectare large new modern container terminal on reclaimed land with 600m of quay wall length designed for a water depth of 16.5m alongside but dredged to 14.0m initially. In so doing the current container terminal will be converted back to a multipurpose terminal capable of handling more bulk and break bulk cargo.

This project forms part of the ELTAM transmission interconnector which connects the power markets of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Mali. In particular, it involves the reinforcement of the Egypt part of the 340 km / 500 kV Egypt to Libya section from the Mersa Matruh to the Libya border.

Construction of a transmission line that connects the power networks of Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya. This project initially included the section of 400kV, 1134km bidirectional Tanzanian section of the 2,800km ZTK interconnector from Kasama in Zambia to Tunduma-Mbeya-Iringa-Singida-Arusha in Tanzania terminating at Isinya in Kenya. The design capacity of the Tanzania section is 2000MW. The original concept for the ZTK Interconnector was a high voltage 330 kV transmission line going from Pensulo (Zambia) to Nairobi (Kenya) with three connection points in Tanzania (Mbeya, Singida and Arusha). At that time, Tanzania grid was operated at 220 kV. The original concept of the ZTK Interconnector has been replaced, by two interconnections between two national grids: the Kenya-Tanzania Interconnection and the Zambia-Tanzania Interconnection.

Upgrading of the 240 km single carriageway road from Garoua to Boulai to N’Gaoundéré in Cameroon.

The project involves the upgrading of 29 km of the Nairobi Southern Bypass road in Kenya.

The project involves the modernisation of the Dar es Salaam Port, including upgrade to berths 1 to 7, deepening of the harbour, improveing cargo handling and port layout.

The Serenje-Nakonde project road runs in a north eastern direction from Serenje in Zambia's Central Province to Nakonde (at the border post between Zambia and Tanzania) in the Northern Province covering a total distance of 611.5 km. The road is divided in 3 links: Link 1: Serenje to Mpika (238.3 km), Link 2: Mpika to Chinsali (164.6 k), Link 3: Chinsali to Nakonde (208.6 km) The Serenje-Nakonde road is part of the Regional Trunk Road Network (RTRN Link 15) as well as the Trans-African Highway Nr 4.