2023-10-08 22:00:14
Five countries, as many metropolises, and 1,028 kilometers of asphalt. Thus could be summarized in broad strokes the West African highway project intended to connect Abidjan, in Ivory Coast, to Lagos, Nigeria, crossing Ghana, Togo and Benin via the cities of Accra, Lomé and Cotonou. A project considered crucial for the economic integration of these cities which are transforming into a gigantic conurbation. Some 40 million people live along this axis which, according to the African Development Bank, concentrates nearly 75% of the region’s commercial activities.
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The route is now validated and, according to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the first calls for tenders to select the companies which will be responsible for the construction should be published at the beginning of 2024. All that remains is even to secure financing for this supranational work, the cost of which is estimated at more than 15 billion dollars (14.3 billion euros).
Rivalry between states
“The impact of this highway will be very significant for the region”, assures Lydie Ehouman, economist in charge of transport at the African Development Bank, the institution which financed the technical studies of the project alongside the European Union. The infrastructure, with two three lanes – and even two four lanes in Nigeria – could be equipped with electronic tolls and offer simplified customs control procedures at border posts. According to Ms Ehouman, travel times should be reduced by almost 50%. “The challenge is to identify and remove all obstacles to the free movement of people and goods. »
Because there are many of them. In addition to the modest size of the current coastal road, “there may be additional border procedures, problems with recognition of commercial documents, language barriers, but also sometimes situations of harassment and extortion”lists Ziad Hamoui, president of the Ghanaian chapter of Borderless Alliance, a group that promotes the commercial integration of the area and ardently supports the highway project.
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However, no one yet dares to mention a precise timetable for the work. Nine years have already passed since the signing of the treaty officially launching the project. The Covid-19 epidemic but also the difficulty in harmonizing the standards and aspirations of partner States have significantly slowed down the study phase.
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