Amanze Chinonye
A major cross-border road project is gathering momentum in North Africa as Egypt, Libya, and Chad jointly plan a 1,720-kilometre highway to open new trade routes across the Sahara.
Survey work is currently underway in Chad’s northern Ennedi-Est Province, where drones equipped with LiDAR technology are scanning the proposed alignment and collecting data at a pace of roughly 10 kilometres every 30 minutes. Engineers say the information will feed into detailed design and feasibility studies for the project.
Project promoters estimate the total cost at around US$500 million. The proposed route will cover roughly 400 kilometres in Egypt, 390 kilometres in Libya, and 930 kilometres in Chad. In Egypt, the first phase is budgeted at approximately US$123.6 million (about EGP 6 billion) to build a 100-kilometre segment.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe highway will run about 930 kilometres through Chad, 400 kilometres across Egypt, and 390 kilometres in Libya. Once completed, it is expected to strengthen trade and economic ties between the three nations while providing landlocked Chad with long-sought access to seaports in both Libya and Egypt.
Egypt has already earmarked US$123.6 million to build the first 100-kilometre segment of the route and has awarded the contract to the state-owned construction giant Arab Contractors.
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According to Egypt’s Ministry of Transport, work on this initial section is now underway. Arab Contractors is also in discussions with authorities in Chad and has signed a memorandum of understanding with Libya to handle parts of the highway that fall within their borders.
For Egypt, the project aligns with its strategy to strengthen trade links and diversify transport routes beyond maritime chokepoints.
However, the success of the initiative will depend on sustained political cooperation among Egypt, Libya, and Chad, reliable financing, and the ability to maintain infrastructure in one of the world’s harshest environments.
Officials describe the East Oweinat–Kufra corridor as a critical trade artery capable of reshaping regional logistics. Analysts caution, however, that the project faces formidable challenges, including harsh desert conditions, political coordination among three governments, and the absence of a published construction schedule for the full 1,720-kilometre stretch.
Despite these hurdles, the early survey work and Egypt’s budget commitments signal that the long-planned link is moving beyond concept into active implementation.
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