ECOWAS begins validation workshop on Abidjan-Lagos Highway Project
The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has begun a validation workshop in preparation for the implementation of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor highway improvement project.
Engineers and sector Experts in Trade, Industry, Tourism, Private Sector and Agriculture, are currently meeting at a Validation Workshop for the Spatial Development Initiative Study (SDI) for the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development, marking a significant step forward in the comprehensive development of this vital corridor.
The purpose of the workshop, which was organized by the project implementation Unit of the commission’s SDI was to share ideas and completely examine the physical, economic, and social aspects of the highway project.
Speaking on the significance of the workshop, Mr. Ebere Izunobi, Chairman of the Spatial Development Initiative, stated that experts from five member countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, and Cote D’Ivoire, were drawn to discuss infrastructure development, which would transform lives along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.
According to him, transport infrastructure has been prioritised in the ECOWAS commission programmes. It was discussed and approved at the Heads of state summit that the highway, known as “Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway”, with the length of around 1028km, connect major cities and crosses an area with high economic potential.
Mr. Izunobi reiterated SDI’s commitment to work with individual country, to ensure that countries along that corridor spring up developmental project such as port services along the coastal area, building of companies, evacuation of raw materials, importation of goods and services amongst other.
Also speaking, the Head of Road & Railways, ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Ashoke Maliki, stated that the Abidjan-Lagos highway corridor is an important socio-economic link in the ECOWAS region of the trans-African road and motorway programme.
He said that the project cannot be reduced to simple construction of highway, but a trade and coordinated set of intermodal transport and logistics infrastructures and services that facilitate trade.
Mr. Maliki noted that the Spatial Development Initiative is a company that identifies important project which cuts across agriculture, health and infrastructure as the workshop would afford the member state representatives opportunity to look and approve what SDI is presenting.
The 3-day workshop which began on Wednesday the 13th of September will conclude tomorrow, Friday the 15th, 2023.
The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway is a six lane Dual Carriageway Highway from Abidjan-Lagos which is approximately 1,028 km long and connects some of the largest and most economically dynamic cities in Africa, namely: Abidjan, Accra, Cotonou, Lomé and Lagos and covers a large proportion of West Africa’s population. It also links very vibrant seaports which also serves all the landlocked countries of the region, being Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad.
The development objective of the Highway project when fully implemented is to generate increased social and economic activities, promote cross-border trade and integrate the economies within the ECOWAS Community. This will contribute to reducing the poverty within the population that depend on the transport modes of the corridor for livelihood.
The concept of SDI involves the scoping of all the physical, economic, technical, political, economic and commercial aspects of the Corridor catchment area. The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive Corridor Investment Plan with “anchor projects” in all economic sectors (Agriculture, tourism, industry, trade, health, education, etc.) that will naturally lead to a holistic growth of the Corridor.
The plan will also identify and create industrial clusters, with new economic activities to spur on the development of the region. The holistic development of the Corridor will enhance regional connectivity, trade, and socio-economic development of the ECOWAS Region.
