AfDB approves $878 million for second phase of Algeria's Ghardaïa–El Meniaa railway section

The African Development Bank Group's Board of Directors approved USD 878.09 million in financing for Algeria on 13 July 2026 in Abidjan, publicly announced two days later on 15 July. The funds will support the second phase of the Laghouat–Ghardaïa–El Meniaa railway line project, covering specifically the 230-kilometre Ghardaïa–El Meniaa section — not the full 495-kilometre Laghouat–El Meniaa corridor.

The first phase of the same railway line, covering the separate 265-kilometre Laghouat–Ghardaïa section, was financed by a €747.32 million AfDB loan approved in December 2025.

The new approval marks a significant financial commitment to Algeria's rail infrastructure expansion in the country's southern regions, forming part of the broader Trans-Saharan railway axis linking Algiers to Tamanrasset. The project targets passenger speeds of up to 220 km/h and freight speeds of up to 100 km/h, and will be implemented by Algeria's National Agency for Studies and Monitoring of Railway Investment Projects (ANESRIF), under the Ministry of Public Works and Basic Infrastructure.