A Chinese construction company has won a $170 million (around MAD 1.7 billion) contract to build the first part of the Guercif-Nador highway, a major road that will connect the future Nador West Med port to the national motorway network.
The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) secured the contract after an international tender. The African Development Bank (AfDB) announced the award on July 27. The bank is funding the first phase of the project, while the Ministry of Equipment and Water is leading the works.
The first section is 36.7 kilometres long and runs between the Fès-Oujda A2 motorway and the town of Saka. The project is worth more than MAD 2.2 billion and will include a dual two-lane highway, six viaducts, 46 box culverts, one interchange at Saka, and one motorway junction.
CRBC beat about 15 companies to win the contract. The bidders included France’s NGE Contracting and GTR, the Moroccan-Chinese consortium SGTM-Sinohydro Bureau 5, and India’s Ashoka Buildcon.
The AfDB approved €246 million for the first section in December 2023. The package includes €200 million from the bank and €46 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF), which is backed by the People’s Bank of China and managed by the AfDB.
Construction started in early May after land acquisition and compensation were completed. The project must be finished by January 17, 2028.
The full highway will stretch 104 kilometres and is split into three sections. It will cut travel time between Guercif and Nador West Med from three hours to 90 minutes. The full road is expected to open in 2028.
The project is expected to cost about MAD 7.9 billion, according to Equipment and Water Minister Nizar Baraka.
The second section, which covers 40 kilometres between Saka and Driouch, is funded by the Islamic Development Bank. Mojazine Group won one contract worth MAD 586.78 million, while Bioui Travaux secured two contracts worth more than MAD 1.1 billion. CRBC also bid for this section but did not win.
The final 27-kilometre section between Driouch and Nador West Med Port is being built by Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM). It was more than 80% complete in April and is due to open to traffic this summer.
The highway is part of the country’s wider infrastructure programme ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted with Spain and Portugal. It is expected to improve access to Nador West Med, one of the country’s biggest industrial and port projects, and make it easier to move goods across the Oriental region.
CRBC is a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). The company has built roads, ports and railways across Africa and previously worked on the Tanger Tech industrial city project.
