Some €123m in funding has been secured by the EU and its investment bank to support upgrading the 330km Belabo-to-Ngaoundere railway line in eastern Cameroon.
Of this, €106m will be loaned by the European Investment Bank (EIB), with €17m coming directly from an EU grant.
The project will allow for faster and more reliable freight and passenger transport between central and northern Cameroon, as well as the port of Douala, Chad and the Central African Republic.
Work on the project includes upgrading rail tracks and engineering work, improving station facilities and improving rail crossings.
The Belabo-to-Ngaoundere line was opened in 1974 and has not been modernised since. Upgrades to the project are due to be completed by 2028.
Joseph Ngute, Cameroon’s prime minister, said: “Upgrading Cameroon’s national transport network is crucial to improve lives and create new opportunities for our people. The EIB’s largest-ever investment in Cameroon is a flagship of sustainable transport for our country and for Africa.”
