The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has agreed to provide a loan of €112m to the Government of Tunisia for its €277.29m North-East Road Connectivity Support Project.

North-East Road Connectivity Support Project has been designed and developed in order to improve the Tunisian economy by enhancing the mobility of both the goods and people in the Bizerte region and connecting the northern and eastern regions of the country.

The €277.29m road project has also received financial support of €123m from European Investment Bank (EIB) and €32.29m from the Government of Tunisia.

AfDB North Africa director general Mohamed El Azizi said: “This project will further improve the mobility of people and goods in Bizerte and Beja, as well as in Jendouba.

“This project will further improve the mobility of people and goods in Bizerte and Beja, as well as in Jendouba.”

“In due course, the port of Bizerte is expected to become the premier port in Tunisia, so strengthening the competitiveness of the country’s economy.”

The project is reported to be in line with three of the AfDB’s High Five strategic priorities that include ‘Industrialize Africa’, ‘Improve the quality of life for Africans’ and ‘Feed Africa’.

Industrialise Africa focuses on developing nearby export-oriented industrial zones, and the ‘Improve the quality of life for Africans’ concentrates on minimising congestion and improving some neighbourhoods, while ‘Feed Africa’ priority focuses on upgrading local agricultural land.

The project is also said to be in line with the Tunisian Government’s Strategic Plan for Tunisia for 2016-21.