The 18th meeting of the Steering Committee and experts on the Abidjan-Lagos highway project has been officially opened this Tuesday, March 14, 2023 in Abidjan-Plateau. The work was launched by the Director of Cabinet of the Minister of Equipment and Road Maintenance, Armand Aristide Yao, on behalf of Minister Amédé Koffi Kouakou.
This 18th meeting, scheduled for March 14-16, 2023 in Abidjan, is being held as a prelude to the meeting of ministers from the five countries concerned (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria) on March 17. The purpose of this meeting of the committee and experts is therefore to evaluate and propose practical solutions to accelerate the implementation of the project.
“The realization of this important project of about 1,050 km of highway will not only facilitate the conditions of movement of the population along the corridor, but also promote trade more dynamic between the various countries crossed, ” the Director of Cabinet has said.
Armand Aristide Yao also indicated that “the Ivorian section which starts from the town of Bingerville to link the southern border with Ghana at Noé, is a 143 km long highway link with 10 interchanges planned along the way.
In addition, he reiterated the commitment of all to complete the studies which are currently at 50%, in order to reach the stage of the realization of the works of this Abidjan-Lagos corridor highway expected by the population.
“For the realization of the current studies, 42 million dollars, or 26 billion CFA francs have been mobilized by technical and financial partners, through the CEDEAO Commission,” has concluded Armand Aristide Yao.
Let’s note that the Abidjan-Lagos transport corridor is the main east-west transport corridor in West Africa, linking the capitals of five countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. The realization of this highway will not only promote regional integration, but will also facilitate the transportation and marketing of goods between these countries and the rest of the world.