ECOWAS, AfDB Advance $1,028km Abidjan–Lagos Mega Corridor

The Abidjan–Lagos Corridor is designed to link Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria — five economies that together account for a significant share of West Africa’s GDP and trade flows.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group have taken a major step toward operationalising the 1,028-kilometre Abidjan–Lagos Corridor Highway, inducting the newly appointed 10-member Board of Directors of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA).

The two-day orientation session, held in Abidjan on 19–20 February 2026, marks a key milestone following the Board’s official swearing-in in December 2025 at the 22nd Ministerial Steering Committee meeting of the corridor project.

A Supranational Economic Corridor

The Abidjan–Lagos Corridor is designed to link Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria — five economies that together account for a significant share of West Africa’s GDP and trade flows.

During the induction, Board members were briefed on the Corridor Treaty, which establishes the project’s supranational legal status and outlines its strategic vision as endorsed by the five Heads of State.

The model goes beyond highway construction, integrating:

• Trade and transport facilitation

• Spatial and industrial development

• Logistics systems and value chains

• Anchor economic hub projects

Chris Appiah, ECOWAS Director of Transport, emphasised the corridor’s integrated approach, combining physical infrastructure with socio-economic advancement.

He urged stakeholders “to spare no effort to make this project a reality in the near future,” adding that a seamless cross-border highway would significantly accelerate regional development.

Strengthening Governance and Institutional Framework

Board members examined the legal and institutional architecture underpinning the corridor, including intergovernmental agreements and draft international instruments establishing both the highway and ALCoMA.

The session also included an initial review of:

• The Authority’s rules of procedure

• Its governing charter

• Recruitment processes for the Director General, administrators and technical staff

The orientation forms part of the Authority’s broader operational rollout as feasibility and structuring activities near completion.

Financing and Strategic Partnerships

Mike Salawou, Director of the AfDB’s Infrastructure and Urban Development Department, reaffirmed the Bank’s role as mandated lead arranger for the project.

He confirmed that the Bank will work alongside the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) and other partners to mobilise financing.

“Our fellow citizens are waiting for us to move along this corridor, to carry out their socioeconomic activities and facilitate trade in our sub-region,” Salawou said.

The AfDB Group has already played a catalytic role in project preparation, providing $25 million in early-stage support and technical assistance.

Learning from Abidjan’s Urban Infrastructure

As part of the session, delegates visited Abidjan’s fourth-largest bridge project — a major urban infrastructure investment that has eased congestion, particularly in Yopougon, home to an estimated two million residents.

The AfDB mobilised approximately €600 million for the bridge project, leveraging additional financing from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) (€103 million) and the Global Environment Facility (€6.4 million).

Officials say the visit underscored the transformative impact large-scale infrastructure can have on mobility, productivity and urban development.

A Regional Trade Engine by 2030

Stretching 1,028 kilometres along one of West Africa’s busiest coastal trade routes, the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor is envisioned as a strategic industrial and trade backbone by 2030.

By reducing border delays, lowering transport costs and improving logistics efficiency, the highway is expected to enhance regional integration under ECOWAS frameworks and support the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

With governance structures now taking shape and financing mobilisation underway, the project enters a decisive phase aimed at transforming one of Africa’s most economically dynamic corridors into a fully integrated regional growth engine.