Embarking on a monumental journey of connectivity, the Egyptian Ministry of Transport (MoT) is gearing up for the grand inauguration of the “Cairo-Cape Town” Highway (CCTH), poised to be the longest highway in Africa.
Anticipated to open its lanes in 2024, this ambitious project is set to redefine cross-continental travel, fostering economic ties and cultural exchange along the expansive stretch from Cairo to Cape Town.
According to bulawayo24.com, the CCTH is scheduled to pass through 11 African countries at a length of 10,228 kilometers, of which 1,155 kilometers are in Egypt.
READ: Africa: With a length of 114 kilometers, Egypt to build world’s biggest man-made river
The highway will aid in shortening travel time between north and southern Africa to an average of five days, fulfilling the dream to link Cairo and South Africa.
The CCTH begins from the port of Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea, passing through Cairo to Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.
The highway passes through the governorates of Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor and Aswan in Egypt.
The Ministry of Transport signed an agreement with the Sudanese Ministry of Transport in October 2020, a joint cooperation document to build a railway line.
It aims to provide the necessary financing and start an economic, social and environmental feasibility study for the railway link project between Egypt and Sudan, which will extend in its first phase from the city of Aswan to the south of Wadi Halfa.
Funding shall be through coordination and cooperation between Egypt, Sudan and the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development.
The CCTH project is of great importance in achieving land linkage and increasing trade with African countries, as well as serving Egyptian and African citizens, opening new horizons for job opportunities and achieving comprehensive development.
South Africa had previously expressed its keenness on joint cooperation with Egypt in the various fields of transport and the increase of trade between African countries through a comprehensive vision in all fields, including the transport sector.
This comes especially as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement provides great opportunities for cooperation between African countries – the transport sector remains the biggest factor that will contribute effectively to the implementation of these ambitions.
