UAE, Chad Ink Partnership To Boost Ndjamena-Douala Railway Line.

Etihad Rail of the United Arab Emirates has partnered with Chad to develop the Ndjamena-Douala railway line.

On May 2, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, a Chadian delegation led by Minister of Trade and Industry Mathieu Guibolo Fanga, who is also acting Minister of Transport, signed a major agreement with Etihad Rail.

This agreement was made during a high-level ministerial meeting hosted by Etihad Rail, which included six countries cooperating on railway projects.

The signed protocol between Chad’s National Railway Office (ONCF) and Etihad Rail aims to establish a modern railway connection linking Chad to the port of Douala in Cameroon. Discussions clarified financing mechanisms, mutual commitments, and a tripartite cooperation framework involving Chad, the UAE, and Cameroon.

Key commitments from the meeting include collecting freight volume data to assess profitability, updating feasibility studies expected by June 2025, and implementing an operational timeline from May to December 2025, with no objections from Chad and Cameroon. This initiative is expected to lead to a structured business plan for the project’s launch.

The meeting was attended by Chad’s ambassador to the UAE and several high-ranking officials from Chad’s transport and railway sectors.