China-aided bridge project in Niger opens to traffic

[Photo/Chinese embassy in Niger]

A ceremony was recently held to open Niger's General Seyni Kountché Bridge, built with the assistance of the Chinese government. Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou, Prime Minister Brigi Rafini, Chinese Ambassador to Niger Zhang Lijun and other officials attended the ceremony.

Zhang said that with the support of the Chinese and Nigerien governments and the Nigerien people, the project's contractors have overcome plenty of difficulties such as the COVID-19 pandemic and done an excellent job. He said he believes the bridge will greatly ease the traffic pressures in Niger's capital Niamey and promote the sub-regional economic development.

In the past decade, China-Niger cooperation has yielded fruitful results in various areas and its scope has been expanding, said Zhang, adding that especially after the outbreak of COVID-19 the two sides proved that active and united response is the only right way to defeat the pandemic.

[Photo/Chinese embassy in Niger]

Issoufou spoke highly of the cooperative relations between the two countries and said that the project is another major result of pragmatic bilateral cooperation. The China-Niger cooperation is closely related to the priority fields of Niger's economic and social development in recent years. Niger thanks China for its long-term support to the country's economic and social development, said Issoufou.

People from all walks of life in Niger have expressed their admiration for the novel design and technical level of the bridge.

[Photo/Chinese embassy in Niger]

With a 928-meter-long main bridge and a connecting road of 2.5 kilometers, the project is the largest one in the history of Chinese government assistance to Niger and the second bridge across the Niger River built with Chinese assistance in the last decade.