Egypt and Chad are accelerating efforts to construct a massive 4,300-kilometer overland transport corridor linking the Red Sea port of Berenice with N’Djamena, with future plans to extend the network to the Atlantic port of Douala in Cameroon.
The project, designated as Egypt’s eighth strategic logistics corridor, formed the centerpiece of discussions at the fourth Egyptian-Chadian Joint Commission meeting in N’Djamena, where Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Kamel Al-Wazir conferred with Chadian officials on fast-tracking implementation along a route stretching through Aswan, Toshka, East Oweinat, and Kufra.
The proposed transit route is designed to dramatically reduce shipping timelines, cutting the transit time for goods between Egypt and landlocked Chad from nearly three months down to approximately one week. To support this increased trade velocity, both nations are planning dedicated logistics and storage zones in N’Djamena and Am-Djarass for cargo consolidation and redistribution. Long-term plans include integrating rail links toward Cameroon to establish a seamless multimodal connection linking the Red Sea directly to the Gulf of Guinea.
On the Egyptian side, key infrastructure components are already finished or nearing completion, including the dual-carriageway upgrades along the Aswan-Berenice, Aswan-Toshka, and Toshka-East Oweinat roadways, while construction advances on the East Oweinat-Kufra segment. The corridor aligns with Cairo’s broader policy to integrate highways, railways, dry ports, and streamlined customs frameworks. Supported by a regional chamber of commerce agreement signed in July, updated customs procedures are projected to reduce overland transport costs by 25 to 40 percent across participating African nations.
Amid ongoing maritime disruptions in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Egypt is positioning these overland trade arteries as resilient alternatives to maintain regional commerce. By connecting Central Africa to markets in Europe and the Gulf, the expanded Berenice-N’Djamena-Douala corridor aims to bolster intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) while strengthening Egypt’s position as a transcontinental logistics hub.
MK/AK/Sf/lb/abj/APA