Multinational - Boke-Quebo Road Improvement Project (Phase 1)

The Boké-Québo road is a link of national and regional importance connecting Guinea and Guinea-Bissau and serving an area with strong agricultural and mining potential. The road is part of the Dakar –Lagos Road Corridor or Trans-African Highway 7 (TAH 7) identified as the backbone for the sub-region’s economic and social development. This corridor is considered to be one of the top priorities of the African Union’s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the ECOWAS Regional Transport Facilitation Programme, reference no. CWTR-38/99. It is a dirt road in very bad condition, depriving a high proportion of the population in the area of access to basic services (health, education, and markets) and preventing them from tapping into the area’s potential. The Boké-Québo Road Improvement Project will complete the missing portion of the land link between Conakry and Bissau, the respective capitals of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. It consists of : (i) the improvement and asphalting of 107 km of road, 86 km of which are in Guinea and 21 km in Guinea-Bissau, in accordance with ECOWAS standards (7-metre road surface flanked by 1.5-metre shoulders in bituminous concrete) ; (ii) the construction of two bridges in Guinea with a total length of 364 lm (Tinguilinta and Kogon) and repairs to defects identified on 5 bridges in Guinea-Bissau. The total cost for the entire project is estimated at UA 99.08 million, or EUR 117.29 million. In light of the cost of the entire project and available financing, it was decided to implement it gradually in phases. The Boké-Québo Road improvement works are broken down into 3 lots : (i) lot 1 from KP 0 (Boké) to KP 45 including the construction of a new bridge over the Tinginlinta River on the Guinean side ; (ii) lot 2 from KP 45 to the border with Guinea-Bissau including the construction of a bridge over the Kogon River to replace the ferry on the Guinean side ; and (iii) lot 3 from the Guinean border to Québo on the Guinea-Bissau side. The proposed PHASE 1, with a duration of 4 years and an estimated total cost of UA 67, 52 million (i.e. EUR 79, 94 million), will consist in carrying out lots 2 and 3. PHASE 2 will concern lot 1.