Members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) approved the design for the $15 billion Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway Development Project during a meeting in Lagos, Nigeria.
The project aims to deepen regional economic integration and is currently in its study phase, which indicates that detailed research, planning, and design are still ongoing.
Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, chaired the meeting and discussed the project, saying that it had received significant funding support from the African Development Bank since its initiation in 2013.
Umahi noted that the meeting aimed to finalise and approve the project’s design, as it was approaching a crucial stage for implementation. The heads of member states of ECOWAS had agreed on the project.
Francis Boakye, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Ghana, stressed the importance of infrastructure, particularly roads, in driving socio-economic development, highlighting how highways could facilitate trade, tourism, and economic activities.
He also noted the significance of the Lagos-Abidjan highway project in promoting economic integration within West Africa.
The Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway, part of the greater Dakar-Lagos Corridor, is scheduled to begin in 2025 and is one of ECOWAS’s flagship priority development programs.
The approximately 1068-kilometer project, financed by the African Development Bank, covers five ECOWAS member countries and traverses eight border towns.