In Accra on June 19, 2021 on the occasion of the summit of heads of state of ECOWAS, Akinwunmi Adesina, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), spoke about the works of the Abidjan-Lagos corridor supposed to link the economic capitals of five countries in the region.
“We expect the construction of this corridor to begin within the next 24 months,” he said. Stating that the feasibility studies were being finalized.
The AfDB Board of Directors approved, in April 2020, additional funding of 12.33 million euros for the ECOWAS Commission to cover part of the costs related to the study of the project. The institution’s total contribution to the project amounts to 22.4 million euros.
Ultimately, this corridor will connect the capitals of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, and cover some 1,028 km with eight border posts. It aims to strengthen trade and integration in West Africa, in particular by providing maritime port access to landlocked countries. The road axis is planned to join other corridors connecting Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad.
As a reminder, the Abidjan – Lagos corridor is a flagship project of the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), a continental initiative for which the ADB is the executing agency.
