Egypt and Sudan aim to open the Erqan land port next March to increase trade between the two countries, according to head of the General Authority for Ports and Dry Land Gamal Hegazy.
Approximately 70% of Erqan has been completed, along with a road in Toshka, east of Owaynat Abu Simbel, at a cost of EGP 170m, according to Hegazy.
Infrastructure costs for Erqan have reached a total of EGP 85m, according to a statement issued by the authority this Saturday.
The statement said that Hegazy met with the Sudanese Ambassador in Egypt Abdelmahmood Abdelhaleem on Saturday in order to coordinate on the subject of Erqan.
Sudan aims to provide Erqan with its own electricity network, through three generators with a capacity of 1.5MW.
The project will form a base for opening trade routes to Africa, which will help pave the way for the Cape Town-Alexandria project after the Qustul land port was opened last August, according to Abdelhaleem.
Chairman of the Egyptian Transport Association Mohamed Shehata said that Egyptian-Sudanese rapprochement and the port project will contribute to the creation of a new economic future for Egypt and the countries of Africa. He added that it is anticipated that the project will increase trade between Egypt and Sudan, and Egypt and Africa.
He believes that the project will provide Egypt with strategic advantages to access the African market, restoring leadership to Egypt, and rendering it the world’s gateway to Africa.
Both the Egyptian and Sudanese governments seek to increase trade between the two nations to $11bn annually compared to the current $2bn, according to Abdelhaleem.
It is expected that the Erqan port will help encourage trade investments and economic growth between the countries, as there are no waterways in the crossing’s path.
