A $700m contract to construct a major expressway in Ethiopia has been signed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

The 80km six-lane expressway will connect Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa to Nazreth, a city in the centre of the country.

The Addis-Nazareth expressway will be financed through a Chinese soft loan signed by CRBC and the Ethiopian Roads Authority.

In addition, three road construction projects worth about $40m in Addis Ababa are being currently being carried out by CRBC.