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Egypt’s transport minister Kamel El-Wazir announced the commencement of second phase of feasibility study for VICMED project, which aims to establish ab intermodal navigational line between Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean Sea.
"The basin will extend from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean along the Nile River, which gives the countries access to the Mediterranean, promotes regional integration, and is considered the shortest way to connect the basin countries," El-Wazir said.
VICMED is championed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi within the framework of the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative (PICI) of AUDA-NEPAD [African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development] Agency and the South African Presidency.
"Egypt arranged with the African Union to finance Phase 2 of the feasibility study and start implementing the project," El-Wazir said.
The pre-feasibility phase, completed in May 2015, was funded by a $500,000 grant from the Egyptian government.
Feasibility Study Phase 1, completed in July 2019, was funded by a grant of $650,000 from the African Development Bank.
"The estimated total time frame of the initial part of second phase of the feasibility study is 36 months from the date of procurement and approval of the grant estimated at about $11.7 million, of which the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF) will provide $2 million while the Egyptian government will contribute $100,000," said Wazir.
The total cost inclusive of feasibility study and implementation is estimated at $12 billion, according to the website of Programme for Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA).
Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda are members and beneficiaries of VICMED.
(Writing by Marwa Abo Almajd; Editing by Anoop Menon)
