Members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have approved the design for the highly anticipated $15 billion Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway Development Project, Okay.ng reports.
The approval was granted during a meeting held in Lagos State, chaired by Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
At the meeting, the group also agreed to initiate the procurement process for the project at its next gathering.
The highway, a key component of ECOWAS’s infrastructure development agenda, is expected to strengthen regional economic integration across West Africa.
The project is currently in its study phase, indicating that detailed planning, design, and research are still ongoing. Minister Dave Umahi highlighted the progress made since the project was initiated in 2013, noting that the African Development Bank has provided significant funding support.
The meeting aimed to finalize and approve the design, signaling that the project is nearing a critical implementation stage.
Umahi emphasized that heads of state from the ECOWAS member nations have been actively involved in the project’s development over the past 11 years, focusing on stages such as design, environmental impact assessments, and funding mechanisms.
Speaking on the significance of the project, Ghana’s Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Boakye, underscored the importance of infrastructure in driving socio-economic growth.
Boakye noted that highways, like the planned Lagos-Abidjan corridor, could boost trade, tourism, and economic activities, citing the example of the United States’ economic boom.
The Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway, scheduled to commence construction in 2025, is part of the larger Dakar-Lagos Corridor and stands as one of ECOWAS’s flagship development programs. The approximately 1068-kilometer project will span five member countries—Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, and Nigeria—and will connect eight border towns, beginning from Eric Moore in Lagos and ending in Abidjan.
The project is financed by the African Development Bank and is expected to have a transformative impact on regional connectivity and economic integration.
