Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt and Chad are pressing ahead with plans for a 2,570-kilometre transcontinental highway linking the Mediterranean coast to Central Africa, following high-level meetings in Cairo that officials from both sides described as a turning point for the long-discussed project.
The proposed Egypt–Chad highway is envisioned as a strategic economic corridor running from Egypt’s Western Desert through Libya to eastern Chad. Both governments say the overland route would ease the movement of goods and people, expand regional trade and give landlocked Chad its most direct access to the Mediterranean and global markets. For N’Djamena, the project carries particular weight: officials describe it as the country’s shortest and potentially most reliable trade path to northern ports.
Egypt’s transport ministry said this week that construction on its segment of the route, the East Oweinat–Al-Kufra stretch has reached roughly 15 percent completion. Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, said Egyptian crews are continuing earthworks and surveys, while parallel preparations are underway for the road sections that cross Libya and lead toward Umm Jaras, Abéché and ultimately the Chadian capital.
These next phases are being coordinated under agreements involving Egypt’s Arab Contractors as well as Libyan and Chadian authorities, reflecting the project’s trilateral nature. Egypt is also moving forward with the establishment of the Al-Kufra land port on its border with Libya, which officials say will serve as a key gateway for future trade flows along the corridor.
The renewed momentum followed sessions of the Egypt–Chad Joint Committee in Cairo, attended by senior Egyptian cabinet ministers and a wide-ranging Chadian delegation representing the portfolios of infrastructure, livestock, health, higher education, water and energy. On the sidelines, El-Wazir met separately with Chadian Infrastructure Minister Amir Idriss and Livestock Minister Abdelrahim Al-Tayeb to review cooperation in transport, industry and agricultural production.
El-Wazir said Egypt aims to broaden economic ties across Africa and that Egyptian companies, particularly in construction, transport and engineering are ready to expand their role in Chadian development projects. Arab Contractors already has a presence in the country through several ongoing infrastructure works.
Idriss welcomed the initiative, praising Egypt’s rapid development pace and describing the transcontinental highway as a “generational project” capable of reshaping economic connectivity between the two nations and, potentially, between North and Central Africa more broadly.
Beyond transport, the talks explored opportunities to deepen cooperation in livestock and meat production, a sector that both countries view as ripe for joint investment. El-Wazir said Egypt is working with private-sector partners to establish livestock farms and automated slaughterhouses in Chad, with facilities designed to supply chilled and processed meat to Egyptian and European markets. Officials also discussed strengthening collaboration in dairy processing, leather industries, veterinary pharmaceuticals, agricultural processing and feed production.
Recognising the complexity of the cross-border highway, the two governments agreed to form a permanent technical committee that will supervise implementation, harmonise timelines and resolve obstacles as they arise. Cairo and N’Djamena also committed to expanding the role of Egyptian companies in Chadian development programmes and launching training initiatives for Chadian engineers and technicians in areas such as road construction and transport management.
For both sides, the highway represents more than a transport link. It is a statement of intent to integrate their economies, capitalise on each other’s strengths and position the corridor as a backbone for future trade across a region long constrained by geography and infrastructure gaps. As work continues on the ground, the political alignment emerging around the project suggests that momentum may finally be building for a route that has been on regional agendas for decades.
