The World Bank is set to finance the construction of a 645-metre bridge connecting Bangui (the capital of the Central African Republic) with Zongo, a town across the Ubangi River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The project will replace what is currently a river-crossing dependent on boats and ferries, significantly improving trade and movement of people between the two neighbouring countries. The infrastructure link is seen as a major economic boost for the Central African Republic, one of the world's least-developed nations, by opening more reliable overland connectivity to the broader region.