The project (1996-2001) objectives were to contribute to the revitalization of the railway transport service in Cote d'Ivoire in order to promote competitiveness and regional integration through the rehabilitation of the railway infrastructure and equipment assets. The credit of approximately US8 million financed the following project components: infrastructure rehabilitation
equipment rehabilitation and acquisition
and works supervision and training. The project provided the necessary resources to finance physical investments on the railway track in support of the private concession of railway operations on the Abidjan-Ouagadougou-Kaya line jointly awarded by Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso in 1993 and made effective in 1995. Despite the suspension of all Bank-assisted projects since October 30, 2000, almost all contracts and disbursements have been completed, 93 percent of the credit was disbursed when the project closed. The other partners were the Agence Francaise de Developpment (France), the European Investment Bank, the Administration Generale pour la cooperation et le Developpement (Belgium).