ECOWAS Leaders Meet To Finalize $15bn Lagos-Abidjan Highway Design

Leaders of ECOWAS member states gathered on Saturday to finalize and approve the design for the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway Development Project, moving it closer to the procurement phase, which will be discussed at their next meeting.

The meeting, held in Lagos and chaired by Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, focused on the $15 billion project, which is expected to boost regional economic integration. The highway project is still in the study phase, undergoing detailed research, planning, and design.

Senator Umahi provided an update on the project, which was launched in 2013 with significant funding from the African Development Bank. He emphasized that the meeting was pivotal for finalizing the design and making substantial progress towards implementation.

“The design, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), conceptualization, and funding mechanisms have been in development for the past 11 years. Today, we will hear from the committee of experts regarding the design, and we anticipate finalizing and approving it. The procurement process is expected to start at our next meeting,” Umahi stated.

Ghana’s Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr. Francis Boakye, highlighted the importance of infrastructure, particularly road networks, in promoting socio-economic growth. He pointed out how highways can foster trade, tourism, and economic activity, using the United States’ economic expansion as an example. Boakye emphasized that the Lagos-Abidjan highway will play a crucial role in West Africa’s economic integration, reaffirming Ghana’s strong commitment to the project.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Equipment and Road Maintenance, Dr. Amede Kouakou, also expressed the collective resolve of the nations involved to accelerate the project’s progress, pledging to ensure that it benefits citizens in both Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

Scheduled to begin in 2025, the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway is part of the larger Dakar-Lagos Corridor, a key ECOWAS development initiative. The 1,068-kilometre highway will pass through five ECOWAS member countries—Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, and Nigeria—connecting eight border towns and four land borders, from Eric Moore in Lagos to Abidjan.

The African Development Bank is financing the project.