The EU and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have agreed to provide at least €123 million for the €243 million upgrade of the 330km Belabo-Ngaoundere railway line in Cameroon.

The intervention comes in the form of a grant and loan, respectively.

The funding package consists of:

• EIB – €106 million loan
• EU – €17.1 million grant

A ceremony announcing the funding package was held in Yaoundé today (6 May 2022), attended by Cameroon’s Prime Minister Joseph Ngute, among other officials.

The railway line is part of an important logistics linkup between central and northern Cameroon. Ultimately the logistics corridor provides connections between the Cameroonian port city of Douala and the landlocked neighbouring states of Chad and the Central African Republic.

The Belabo-Ngaoundere railway line opened in 1974 but has not been modernised since that time. The upgrade work is expected to be completed by 2028.