Construction of the Lagos-Abidjan highway has received a shot in the arm after African Development Bank (AfDB) and European Union (EU) made financial pledges worth $18 million towards the construction of the project.
The 1,008 kilometres stretch highway is expected to pass through five countries in the ECOWAS region including Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo and Nigeria.
Speaking Friday during the ninth steering committee meeting of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Programme in Abuja, President of Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) Commission, Marcel Alain de Souza said that actual construction of the superhighway would likely start in six months’ time.
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“Participating member countries will provide an additional $1 million as part of feasibility study for the highway project,” said de Souza.
Upon completion, the Lagos-Abidjan highway is expected to promote regional integration, enable trade, tourism and other forms of economic activities in West Africa.
The meeting in Abuja brought together Road Infrastructure Experts from the ECOWAS Abidjan – Lagos Corridor (ALC) countries of Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo to review the progress on the implementation of the Technical Design and Preparatory Studies for the Abidjan – Lagos Corridor Highway Development Programme.
The Lagos-Abidjan highway is set to be the biggest road project in Africa.
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