From Morocco to Libya - by car.

It will be one of the great car journeys - the Maghreb Motorway - driving from Casablanca, through Fès to Oujda on the Algerian border and then a left turn to Nouakchott in Mauritania or take the right lane and head west to Tobrouk in Libya. At this stage it is some years off, but progress is underway.

In Fès yesterday, HM King Mohammed VI launched construction works that are expected to last 42 months. Several national and international companies are involved in the project, including the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (USD 104.7Mn), Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (USD 209.4Mn) and European Investment Bank (USD 230.4Mn).

The Islamic development Bank contributed with USD 125.6Mn while the Abu Dhabi Fund earmarked USD 26.1Mn, OPEC offered USD 26.1Mn and Moroccan government, through the Hassan II Fund for Economic and social Development, dedicated some USD 232.7Mn to the project.

Once finished, the Fès-Oujda motorway will be included in the future Maghreban motorways network and will be a major part of the Moroccan national motorways network which totals 640 Kms at present and is to reach 1,420 kilometers by 2010.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news