Ministers of road infrastructure and works from ECOWAS member states on the Abidjan 6 Lagos corridor agree to expedite action on the completion of technical studies and mobilization of financing

Ministers of road infrastructure and works from ECOWAS member states on the Abidjan 6 Lagos corridor agree to expedite action on the completion of technical studies and mobilization of financing for the construction of the 6-lane supra-national corridor highway

Accra, 19^th May 2023 – The Ministerial Steering Committee of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Project, held its 19^th in Accra on 19^th May, 2023 to take decisions on expediting the completion of technical studies, securing of lands for the right of way, financing the construction of the highway project and the operationalization of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA).

Welcoming participants on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission, the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization, Mr. Sediko DOUKA lauded the commitment of the Corridor Member Countries and highlighted the fact that the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway remains a flagship project for the Commission, and is one of the interventions that could change the narrative of ECOWAS by highlighting the contribution to the total economic growth of community citizens with projects in transport, health, agriculture, customs, migration, education and more. “It will enable citizens of the community to better appreciate and be informed about tangible achievements of ECOWAS. Indeed, it is our duty to accentuate the visibility of ECOWAS achievement on physical infrastructure projects in the area of transport, energy, telecom, water resource and agriculture just as this project has been presented at various African Investment Forums by the African Development Bank.” He echoed.

Commissioner DOUKA charged the participants to take interest in ensuring that the project becomes a reality. “We keep calling on both public and private investors to accompany the Corridor countries and ECOWAS in the realization of this visionary venture.” The feasibility and preliminary designs studies have been completed, whiles the final phases should be completed before the end of this year. “On resource mobilization, it should be noted that ECOWAS has just adopted a new regulatory framework on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) that is an incentive for the entry of Private Sector in large Investments like the nature of this project.”

The African Development Bank (AfDB) on behalf of the Development Partners also assured their unwavering commitment to the realization of the highway. Mr. Mike Salawou, Director for Infrastructure and Urban Development, revealed that the AfDB are in discussions with the ECOWAS Commission to commence engagements with Development Finance Institutions at various roundtable sessions to attract the needed financing interests for the Construction of the highway. “We are going to make sure that this strategic economic corridor project with a great potential to boost industrialization, promote trade and improve lives and conditions of ECOWAS citizenry, is financed. So we are fully committed to make this a reality”