On August 22, 2026, Senegalese President Faye presided over the official opening of the Mbour Fatick Kaorac toll highway in Tiadiaye. This 99.2-kilometer-long two-way four lane expressway is constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation, with China Export Import Bank bearing 81.45% of the project financing. The President emphasized the importance of regular maintenance at the opening ceremony, and Chinese enterprises signed an operation contract nine months in advance to establish a joint venture company to manage this highway. With the delivery of the main project, the source of orders is shifting from construction general contracting to long-term links such as road operation and maintenance, toll equipment, mechanical and electrical maintenance, logistics warehousing, and agricultural processing.

99.2-kilometer expressway officially opened for traffic

The total length of the project mainline is 99.2 kilometers, and the engineering configuration includes 3 interchanges, 3 toll stations, 58 agricultural passages, and 210 hydraulic structures, with a designed speed of 130 kilometers per hour. The project is constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation, with China Export Import Bank bearing 81.45% of the financing and the Senegalese government bearing 18.55%. After the opening of the road, it is expected that about 300 positions will be needed during the operation phase. President Fayer specifically emphasized that regular maintenance and fee mechanisms will be used to share the project investment. In November 2025, the Senegal subsidiary of China Road and Bridge Corporation signed an operation contract with the Senegal National Highway Company, agreeing to establish a joint venture company to manage this highway. The operation rights have been locked in nine months before the full line is opened.

Sandiala's new project emerges

On August 9, 2026, the Minister of Industry and Commerce of Senegal announced three projects in Sandiala. The industrial zone plans to invest 7 billion CFA francs within one year to upgrade water, road, and pipeline facilities; The local cross city agricultural industrial park plan is scheduled to restart in January 2027; The toll highway will be constructed with an exit to Sandiala and extended towards Mbur, and the government has requested relevant agencies to prepare for construction starting in 2027. This project will directly connect highways, industrial areas, and agricultural processing, and specific project clues can be found for road construction, water and environmental protection, industrial equipment, and logistics enterprises. The export of Sandiala has been publicly announced by the minister and instructed by the government, while the demands of other residents along the route still need to wait for approval. Keywords: the Belt and Road news network, expressway, infrastructure

Agricultural processing and logistics increment

The Central Agricultural Industrial Park covers Kaolak, Fatick, Kafrin, and Julebele, with a total investment of 107.416 billion West African francs. It plans 37 agricultural industrial projects and is expected to attract over 46 billion West African francs in private investment. The employment target is 129800 direct jobs and 208000 indirect jobs. After the high-speed road is opened, the processing, packaging, warehousing, and mainline transportation of industries such as peanuts, grains, sesame, and salt are more likely to form combined projects. Highways only address transportation capacity, and what truly forms long-term cargo volume is whether there are factories, warehouses, and procurement networks nearby. For Chinese enterprises, the most practical action is to separate the operating entity, the owner of the Sandiala project, and the list of central agricultural industrial park projects to establish a customer table, and prepare response plans according to different entrances such as road operation and maintenance, park supporting facilities, agricultural processing and logistics. If the Sandiala Industrial Zone, Agricultural Industrial Park, and Expressway Export enter construction as planned, this expressway will extend a series of purchasable industrial supporting projects from the delivered assets.Editor/Gao Xue