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ECOWAS reiterates importance of Abidjan-Lagos corridor highway project

By Silver Nwokoro
21 March 2022   |   2:47 am
The president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Jean-Claude Kassi Brou has reiterated the importance of the Abidjan-Lagos corridor highway project.

[FILES] Jean-Claude Kassi Brou. PHOTO: ECOWAS<br />

The president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Jean-Claude Kassi Brou has reiterated the importance of the Abidjan-Lagos corridor highway project.

In a virtual meeting with the Vice President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the private sector, infrastructure and industrialization of the sub-region, Solomon Quaynor, Brou said the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is one of the main instruments that can foster the development of the region and consolidate the economic resilience of West Africa.

“It is an integral part of the major continental road development projects of the African Union and the AUDA-NEPAD Agency,” he said.

The meeting is aimed at attracting investors to finance the construction of the Abidjan-Lagos road corridor project.

President of AfDB, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina noted that the Abidjan-Lagos road corridor is the most important infrastructure project in West Africa, adding that it will facilitate free movement and trade in the region.

“The Abidjan-Lagos Road Corridor is a project that aims to build a six-lane supranational highway, with components to transform it into an economic development corridor to connect five ECOWAS Member States (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria), thus facilitating cross-port links, free movement and the improvement of cross-border economic exchanges between the five Member States concerned.

“The corridor project, implemented in collaboration with the corridor countries, is a key element of the Second Priority Action Plan of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA-PAP II). It is also a priority under the new ECOWAS Vision 2050, which, among other objectives, aims to make ECOWAS a fully integrated and interconnected economic region. Once completed, the corridor will boost trade (a catalyst for the AfCFTA), encourage investment in other economic sectors and create job opportunities for citizens of member states. It is also a component of the Dakar-Lagos Corridor and forms an important part of the Trans-African Highway Network, as well as a top priority of the 25-year ECOWAS Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan,” Adesina said.

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