The Niger News Agency announces that the Board of Directors of the World Bank has approved the disbursement of $470 million, or 261 billion FCFA from IDA resources. This support will finance the implementation of the Lomé-Ouagadougou-Niamey (LON) road corridor project.

The completion of the LON project will link the Lomé-Ouagadougou-Niamey axis and boost trade between the three West African countries. 1,065 km away, this road infrastructure should contribute to reducing transport times for goods imported and exported from the port of Lomé. In fact, border crossing times for trucks will be reduced by 62% between Togo and Burkina Faso, and by 54% between Burkina Faso and Niger. This project will also, it is assured, improve the quality of transport services along this axis, and develop social and economic infrastructure, among others. According to Anne-Cécile Souhaid, Senior Transport Specialist at the World Bank and leader of the project team, the LON corridor is of strategic importance for Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo, and we are determined to help these countries unleash their full economic potential. According to him, this project facilitates regional cooperation by combining support for transport and trade networks with institutional reforms and logistics services to collectively address common challenges among participating countries.