Challenge
Dakar, Senegal’s economic and political capital, is one of West Africa’s largest cities with 3.8 million inhabitants, a number that is expected to grow by a further 40 percent in the next decade. The city faces a significant shortage of critical infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing population and to improve trade and connectivity with the rest of the world.
Solution and Impact
DFC financing to the Meridiam Infrastructure Africa Fund is supporting the Dakar Bus Rapid Transit project to expand mass transit in and around the city. The project will introduce more than 140 electric buses and construct new roads and garages for the fleet.
The Dakar Bus Rapid Transit project is part of a comprehensive plan to restructure the city’s transportation network by 2025. The plan includes two parts: a hard infrastructure component comprised of the construction of roads, stations, and a garage for the use of the new buses, and an operational infrastructure component which will procure and maintain the bus fleet in addition to operating the network for 10 years.
The project is expected to improve traffic and air quality in Dakar, and by improving accessibility, it will foster the development of more businesses and create jobs.