Abidjan – Lagos Corridor: opening of the workshop to validate the results of the Spatial Development Initiative Study

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), is organising a validation meeting for the Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) study for the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor from 14 to 16 May 2024 in Accra, Ghana.

This three-day meeting brings together experts from the ECOWAS Department of Infrastructure, the ECOWAS Project Preparation and Development Unit (PPDU), representatives of the Ministries of Infrastructure of the Corridor countries and project focal points, the African Development Bank, the European Union, UEMOA, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), the World Bank, AFEXIMBANK and the West African Development Bank (BOAD).

These experts will discuss the results of the SDI study, including a comprehensive roadmap for the development of the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, considering economic, social, environmental and logistical factors, that will enable them to obtain funding and support from international organisations, governments and private investors.

This study also aims to (i) identify and unlock the region’s inherent and latent economic potential, and ensure the commercial visibility of the project as well as the economic and industrial value chains, (ii) provide tools and methodology for an economic survey, (iii) propose a mechanism for building consensus among all key project stakeholders, (iv) shed light on existing institutional arrangements and propose alternative options, and finally (v) carry out detailed socio-economic assessments and market analysis of the selected priority projects.

Mr Sediko DOUKA, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, represented by Mr Chris APPIAH, Acting ECOWAS Director of Transport, at the opening of this important workshop, said in his speech that the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Project was being implemented not just as a road project but as an integrated “development corridor” which will also catalyse the deployment of other important sectors such as Trade, Industry, Agriculture, Energy, Environment, ICT and Tourism.

In opening the meeting, the chairman of the committee of experts, Engr. Ibi TERNA M., of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, called on all public and private stakeholders to participate in the realisation of this noble vision, which will bring about a lasting transformation of our region’s economic landscape.

The Chairman of the Committee of Experts, Engr. Ibi TERNA M., of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, in his opening address, called on all public and private stakeholders to participate in the realisation of this noble vision, which will bring about a lasting transformation of our region’s economic landscape.

This project to build the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, implemented by ECOWAS, is a 1028 km supranational motorway that forms a major part of the trans-African road network. The corridor will link the main ports and urban areas of West Africa, namely Lagos, Abidjan, Accra, Cotonou and Lomé. It will thus help boost trade and integration in West Africa, in particular by providing seaport access to landlocked countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad) by linking other corridors along the north-south axis.

The Abidjan-Lagos corridor is one of the ECOWAS priorities set out in its “Vision 2050”. It is also one of the projects included in the Priority Action Plan of the African Union’s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), which is implemented by the African Development Bank.

The main objectives are (i) to facilitate the movement of people and goods and (ii) to accelerate regional and international trade and transport by improving road infrastructure. Ultimately, the transport corridor will be transformed into a development corridor to stimulate investment, sustainable development and poverty reduction in the region.