Egypt has plans for a major infrastructure project that will connect the country to nine African countries, according to a report by Arab News.

The project includes the development of roads and railway systems, and will create a route from Salloum to Benghazi, explained Kamel Al Wazir, Egypt’s Transport minister. He added that the project will support Egyptian industry and labor, and will contribute to the transport of goods to Libya.

“There was coordination with Chad regarding whether the route passes from Sudan or Libya, and we settled on starting from Libya, then Chad and then Congo,” the minister noted during a plenary session of the Egyptian parliament.

The development of the railway system comes in parallel with the establishment of the express electric train, the minister noted. He also stated that Egypt is working on a comprehensive plan that will see the establishment of 13 ports and a logistical center.

35 projects worth $953m will be rolled out in the coming months. Nine projects have already been completed at a total cost of $19m, he concluded.