AfDB Contributes €12.33m to Abidjan-Lagos Highway Project

By Adedapo Adesanya

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved an additional funding of €12.33 million for the Abidjan to Lagos highway corridor project.

This brings the total contribution made by the Africa oriented lender on the project to €22.4 million .

In a statement, the lender said the funds would be used to cover part of the costs related to the study of the Abidjan – Lagos motorway corridor development project which links cities across five West African countries namely Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.

“The Abidjan – Lagos project, an important regional trade and transport corridor provide a link between economically dynamic cities in Africa, namely Abidjan, Accra, Cotonou, Lomé and Lagos,” a statement on the AfDB website read.

“It not only links the most densely populated and economically active areas of the West African sub-region but it also crosses a rail network and joins the main ports and airports.

“Its purpose is to strengthen trade and integration in West Africa, in particular by providing maritime port access to landlocked countries,” it added.

The road also joins other corridors along the north-south axis and connects landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad.

The ECOWAS commission had, on behalf of five countries, requested the support of the bank in financing preparatory studies for the realization and management of the Abidjan–Lagos highway corridor project.

The corridor project is for the construction of a 6-lane multinational highway from Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire through Ghana, Benin, and Togo to Lagos in Nigeria.

The Corridor project when fully implemented is expected to promote the free movement Agenda of ECOWAS, generate social and economic activities, promote cross-border trade and integrate the economies of countries in the region.