By David White

A route designed to become a vital link between West and North Africa runs north from Dakar, capital of Senegal. It is meant to connect all the way up to Tangier in Morocco, a short step from Europe. The upgraded road – with two, sometimes three lanes, is good up to about 100km from the Mauritanian border, when the new surface runs out, giving way to axle-breaking potholes. And at the wide Senegal river, dividing the two countries, it stops. Funding has been promised for a bridge, but the project is not expected to materialise before 2011. Trucks queue for one of two ferries that operate at limited periods in the mornings and afternoons.