(Ecofin Agency) - On December 3, Senegal and China signed a loan agreement valued at FCFA200 billion ($400 million) to finance the construction of a motorway connecting the Blaise-Diagne International Airport (AIBD) to Mbour and Thiès.

This agreement was signed by Senegalese Minister of Economy, Planning and Finance, Amadou Ba, and Vice-president of Business division of import-export Chinese bank (Eximbank of China), Yu Wen, during the 6th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). “The construction project for the AIDB-Mbour-Thiès highway which is an extension of Dakar-Diamaniadio-AIDB highway, for which works are ongoing, coincides with the upcoming opening of Blaise Diagne International Airport in Diass,” said Amadou Ba, adding that the new infrastructure would have a major impact on Senegal’s economy as well as make Dakar an industrial hub.

“This infrastructure is a tool for improve access and integration as it will boost service quality on the trans-Saharan corridor leading to Bamako and the trans-coastal to Nouakchott in the North, Conakry and Abidjan in the South”, he continued.

Ba in regards to this, mentioned that China previously granted Senegal, last June, a loan worth FCFA 416 billion to finance the construction of a toll-highway between Touba (Centre) and Thiès (70 Km from Dakar).