Egypt, Chad strengthen transport, infrastructure ties

Egypt’s Minister of Transport, Kamel El‑Wazir, held two separate meetings in N’Djamena with Chad’s Minister of Infrastructure, Isolation Relief and Road Maintenance, Amir Idriss, and Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation and Meteorology, Fatima Goukouni Weddeye.

 The talks took place on the sidelines of the fourth session of the Egypt–Chad Joint Committee, focusing on transport, infrastructure, logistics, roads, railways, urban mobility and river transport.

In discussions with Minister Goukouni Weddeye, El‑Wazir reviewed cooperation in logistics zones, with proposals to establish facilities in N’Djamena and Amjarass. These hubs would connect production and consumption centres to trade outlets, boosting cargo movement and regional integration.

Talks also covered railway co-operation, particularly linking Chad to seaports via Cameroon, a move expected to ease exports and imports and embed Chad more firmly in regional transport networks.

The Egyptian side stressed the need for comprehensive feasibility studies to ensure rail projects are economically viable and sustainable. Chad also invited Egyptian private sector participation in urban transport projects in N’Djamena, including links to surrounding high‑density areas. Co-operation on river transport in Lake Chad was also discussed, with potential to strengthen connections with Nigeria and support passenger and cargo flows.

El‑Wazir praised Chad’s collaboration on road safety, underlining the importance of continued knowledge exchange. The Chadian delegation commended Egypt’s training programmes delivered last year by the General Authority for Roads and Bridges, calling for further capacity‑building initiatives to strengthen Chad’s workforce.

The Egyptian minister extended an invitation to Goukouni to visit Egypt and review its transport and logistics projects first‑hand, signalling both countries’ intent to move cooperation from planning to implementation.

Strategic corridor

In a separate meeting with Minister Idriss, El‑Wazir highlighted the strategic importance of the developmental logistics corridor “Bernis–Aswan–Toshka–East Owainat–Kufra–N’Djamena”, which stretches to Douala in Cameroon over 4,300 kilometres. He said the corridor would cut cargo transit time between Egypt and Chad from three months to just one week, lowering costs and boosting competitiveness.

Egypt has already begun upgrading key segments, including the Aswan–Berenis and Aswan–Toshka roads, while completing the Toshka–East Owainat route and advancing works on the East Owainat–Kufra section. Idriss confirmed Chad is finalising studies for its portion of the corridor, expected to be completed by October, paving the way for full implementation.

Both sides reaffirmed the depth of Egypt–Chad relations and their commitment to advancing joint projects. Idriss praised Egypt’s comprehensive development drive, particularly in transport and infrastructure, and expressed Chad’s interest in drawing on Egyptian expertise and partnering with Egyptian firms.

The meetings underscore Egypt’s drive to translate political directives into concrete projects, positioning transport as a key enabler of trade, investment and regional integration across Africa.