The funds will be used in particular to finance the railway linking Tindouf to Bechar, a city located in the west of the country where a Chinese group is preparing to exploit an iron mine in association with a local partner.
Algeria will allocate 432,64 billion dinars ($3,2 billion) to the construction of railways, according to a presidential decree published on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 in the official journal.
This decree concerns the transfer of credits from the State budget to the Ministry of Public Works and Basic Infrastructure, in order to build new railway lines, including the Tindouf-Bechar railway which will be used to transport iron ore extracted from the Gara Djebilet deposit (West) to steel complexes located in the north of the country.
This 950 km double-track railway corridor, the construction of which was entrusted to the Chinese company China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and the Algerian public company COSIDER, should be completed in 2026.
The presidential decree also mentions that 31,71 billion dinars (around 235 million dollars) are reserved for the development of road infrastructure and 126 million dollars are intended for maritime infrastructure.
Algeria aims to increase the total length of its national railway network to 15 km by 000, compared to 2030 km currently.
Ecofin Agency
