Madar (Algiers) - Algeria's Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure has said the Laghouat-Ghardaia-El Menea-In Salah-Tamanrasset railway project is divided into two sections, each financed under specific arrangements, in response to reports that Algeria had dropped Islamic Development Bank financing for the line, according to a statement issued on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, and reported on Thursday by the TSA news site.
According to the statement, the first section, linking Laghouat, Ghardaia and El Menea over 495 km, is financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The second, between El Menea, In Salah and Tamanrasset over 1,080 km, is financed entirely by the state budget.
The ministry added that consultations between the Islamic Development Bank and the AfDB were continuing on financing other priority sections of the rail project, which it said confirmed continued cooperation with international financial institutions. The clarification was meant to correct information in circulation, it said.
In July, the AfDB approved $878 million for the Laghouat-Ghardaia-El Menea line, following a first tranche of 747 million euros announced in December 2025, TSA reported.
At a Council of Ministers meeting on Sunday, October 18, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the immediate launch, starting from Tamanrasset, of the Laghouat-El Menea-In Salah-Tamanrasset rail project, according to a statement carried by APS.
The statement, as published, did not disclose the cost of the state-funded section or a construction timetable.
