Laghouat-Ghardaia-El Meniaa Railway Construction Project (495 km) - Phase II (AFDB-P-DZ-DC0-004)

Countries
  • Algeria
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • African Development Bank (AFDB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
A
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Jul 13, 2026
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Ministry of Public Works and Basic Infrastructure
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Transport
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 883.07 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Loan Amount (USD)
$ 883.07 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 883.07 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ AFDB website

Updated in EWS Aug 11, 2026

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to bank's website, the Laghouat–Ghardaïa–El Meniaa Railway Construction Project – Second Tranche is a sovereign transport infrastructure project in Algeria forming part of a wider 495 km railway programme linking Laghouat, Ghardaïa and El Meniaa. The overall project comprises the 265 km Laghouat–Ghardaïa section, financed under the first tranche, and the 230 km Ghardaïa–El Meniaa section, covered by the present second tranche. The line is a strategic component of Algeria’s planned north–south railway axis between Algiers and Tamanrasset, and ultimately of the trans-African Algiers–Lagos Corridor. The second tranche will finance the construction and equipment of the Ghardaïa–El Meniaa railway section, including railway tracks, passenger stations, logistics facilities, signalling systems, climate-resilient protection works and the acquisition of rolling stock. It also includes land acquisition and right-of-way clearance, supervision of works, integrated socioeconomic facilities, local economic development activities, and vocational training for young people and women in railway trades, logistics, tourism and handicrafts. Institutional support will be provided to the National Agency for Studies and Monitoring of Railway Investments (ANESRIF), while the completed infrastructure will ultimately be operated and maintained by the National Railway Transport Company (SNTF). The total cost of the full 495 km project is estimated at USD 2,929.51 million. The second tranche is estimated at USD 1,175.15 million, financed by an African Development Bank loan of USD 878.09 million, an expected Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank loan of USD 275.50 million, and a Government of Algeria contribution of USD 21.56 million. The implementing agency is the Ministry of Public Works and Basic Infrastructure through ANESRIF.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

Environmental Category: [1] High Risk

Climate Safeguards Categorization: [2] Projects may be vulnerable to climate risk

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

African Development Bank

Financial Instrument: Project 

Masterloan number: 2000300001862

Commitment (UA): 646,510,087


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Name: Abdoulaye DIARRA

Email: a.diarra@afdb.org 

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.afdb.org/en/disclosure-and-access-to-information/request-for-documents. Under the AfDBÕs Disclosure and Access to Information policy, if you feel the Bank has omitted to publish information or your request for information is unreasonably denied, you can file an appeal at https://www.afdb.org/en/disclosure-and-access-to-information/appeals-process.

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AfDB

The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which is administered by the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (CRMU), is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an African Development Bank (AfDB)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the IRM, it may assist you by either seeking to address your problems by facilitating a dispute resolution dialogue between you and those implementing the project and/or investigating whether the AfDB complied with its policies to prevent environmental and social harms. You can submit a complaint electronically by emailing crmuinfo@afdb.org, b.kargougou@afdb.org, b.fall@afdb.org, and/or s.toure@afdb.org. You can learn more about the IRM and how to file a complaint at: https://www.afdb.org/en/independent-review-mechanism/

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