ECOWAS Commission reiterates commitment on Abidjan -Lagos Corridor Highway project 

Photo : (L-R): Minister of Living Environment and Transport in charge of Sustainable Development, Benin Hon. Jose Didier Tonato Represented by Omonlade Hodonou Sourou Jacques Ayadji , Minister of Equipment and Road Maintenance, Cote D’Ivoire, Dr.Amede Koffi Kouakou, Minister of Roads and Highways, Ghana, Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister of  Works, Nigeria, Sen. Engr. David Umahi, Minister for Transport Public and Infrastructures, Togo, Mr. Sani Yaya, Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy & Digitalization, Mr. Sediko Douka and Vice president Operations ECOWAS Bank for Investment & Development, Dr. Olagunju Ashimolowo at the ministering steering committee meeting in Lagos state.

Stanley Ihedigbo

ECOWAS Commission has reiterated its commitment to realize the vision of Abidjan -Lagos Corridor Highway  as construction of the project begins in 2025.

Chairman of the Steering Committee of Abidjan -Lagos Corridor Highway project and Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Works Sen. Engr. David Umahi made the disclosure at the 21st steering committee meeting of the Lagos-Abidjan corridor highway development project in Lagos State,  Nigeria.

Umahi noted the project was initiated 2013 which is about 11 years ago, but Covid19 caused the delay for three years despite the fact that there were numbers of funding partners especially the African Development Bank that have been part of process.

He said that the steering committee are meeting to abridge the gaps of the project that started in 2013.

“Today, we will able to set a timeline for the project we won’t have problems about funding because they have indicated very strong interest and commitment towards the realization of this project. Let me say this project is very important to member nations and to Nigeria, we have four legacy projects totalling 2.800 kilometers, the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, 2 carriage way and each is 3 lanes with facilities like CCTV cameras to be installed in all the stations along that corridor and it will be tolled .

” Other three ongoing legacy projects include; Sokoto-Badagry which is situated by the Lagos-Abidjan highway, Calabar-Abuja is another 477 kilometers as well as Abuja-Akwanga which passes through Jos and Bauchi is another 489 kilometers totalling 2,800 kilometers” he added.

Reacting to the issue of Treaty signed by member states, Umahi said there was a conflicting issue on the nomination of coordinating agency I.e Abidjan -Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCOMA), adding that there have been an agreement after meeting at the ministerial steering committee where all the ministers of the five minister states met and be in the same page.

“The heads of member states ECOWAS, Cote D’Ivoire,Togo, Benin, Ghana and Nigeria have met to agree on the Lagos-Abidjan and design of the ESIA design, conceptualization,funding mechanism shall be,we are going to listen to the committee of experts in terms of designs, we believe that we finalize the design today and we set the goal for procurement or probably in our next meeting. We are going to issue communique on what we agreed after today’s meeting “.he stressed.

While making statement on the objective of the project, Minister of Roads and Highways, Ghana, Francis Asenso-Boakye, explained the road infrastructure was to connect communities with trade, tourism and social life.

He further reiterated the member states’ commitment to accelerate socio-economic development and boost inter regional trade.

” Country like United States started their economic boom because they’re able to connect individual states through highways , this is why we are trying to connect our own highway. The highway project helps to accelerate socio-economic development, when this project is realized , it is going to transform economic growth among the connecting countries” he concluded.

The highpoint of the event were presentation of technical designs by the experts committee which is made up of engineers from all the five member countries, review of project designs by ministerial steering committee as well as technical advice from the African Development Bank among other financiers.