An interchange in Ghana (Image: Getty)
Africa’s road network may one day link 18 countries,.
From Algiers, Tunis, and Cairo in the north, Addis Ababa and Nairobi in the east, Cape Town in the south, and Freetown in the west, the TransAfrica Highway will comprise nine pre-existing motorways.
However, the plan for the TransAfrica Highway has been around for decades but is yet to come to pass. Conflict, poverty and political instability has created a challenging climate for the architects of the project.
Nevertheless, Express.co.uk unpicks the nine routes that the mega-project includes.
TAH3 and TAH4 run all the way to the southern tip of Africa (Image: Getty)
Cairo-Dakar Highway – TAH 1
Around 8,636 kilometers in total, the first motorway connection begins in Cairo, Egypt along the North African coast before running along the Atlantic coast to Dakar, spanning 7 countries. However, as it stands the border between Morocco and Algeria is currently closed so the TAH 1 is not usable.
Algiers-Lagos Highway – TAH 2
Known as the African Unity Road, the 4500-kilometre stretch runs from Algiers, the Algerian capital, to Lagos, Nigeria. It runs through Niger and therefore connects three states.
Tripoli-Windhoek-Cape Town Highway – TAH 3
Perhaps the most striking connection in the TransAfrica network, TAH 3 stretches over 10,000 kilometres, connecting Tripoli in Libya to Cape Town in South Africa.
It runs through 9 countries: Libya, Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Congo, the DRC, Angola, Namibia, and South Africa.
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The capital of Libya will be linked by TAH1 and TAH3 (Image: Getty)
Cairo-Gaborone-Cape Town Highway TAH 4
Another of the giant motorways in the TransAfrica network. Connecting Cairo and Cape Town, TAH 4 runs through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before going through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, ending in South Africa.
Dakar-N’Djamena Highway TAH 5
TAH 5 is also known as the Trans-Sahelian Highway. The 4500-kilometre road begins in Dakar, Senegal, before running into Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon, ending in N’Djamena, Chad.
N’Djamena-Djibouti Highway TAH 6
TAH 6 is around 4,200km, crossing Chad before entering Sudan and ending in Djibouti.
The capital of Kenya will also be linked (Image: Getty)
Mauritania-Lagos Highway TAH 7
Also known as the Trans-West African Coastal Highway, aims to link 12 West African coastal nations, from Mauritania to Nigeria in the east, with feeder roads already existing to two landlocked countries, Mali and Burkina Faso. The African Union (AU) estimates this network to be more than 4010 kilometres long. According to Euronews.com, most sections of the road are almost complete.
Lagos-Mombasa Highway TAH 8
TAH 8 connects Lagos, Nigeria and the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa, covering 6,259 kilometres.
The route runs into Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Kampala in Uganda, before finishing in Mombasa, Kenya.
Beira-Lobito Highway TAH 9
TAH 9 is 3,523 km and connects Mozambique with Angola. The route also includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.