The programme marks a key step in operationalising the body responsible for overseeing one of Africa’s most ambitious regional infrastructure projects.
Held on February 19 and 20, the session followed the Board’s official inauguration in December 2025 during the 22nd Ministerial Steering Committee meeting of the Abidjan‑Lagos Corridor Highway Development Project.
The highway, stretching 1 028 kilometres, is expected to link Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, serving as a major driver of trade, industrialisation and economic integration by 2030.
Participants were briefed on the Corridor Treaty, which sets out the project’s supranational status and strategic vision endorsed by the Heads of State of the five participating countries. The agenda also included findings from technical studies, presentations on transport facilitation, logistics systems, regional value chains, and anchor economic hubs expected to emerge along the route.
Board members reviewed the institutional and legal frameworks governing the project, including draft international instruments establishing both the highway and its management authority. They also assessed the Board’s rules of procedure and discussed recruitment plans for the Director General and technical personnel.
Leading the ECOWAS delegation, Chris Appiah, Director of Transport, emphasised the importance of the integrated corridor model, which combines infrastructure development with wider socio‑economic goals. He urged stakeholders “to spare no effort” in moving the project towards delivery, saying a seamless cross‑border highway will accelerate regional growth and improve mobility for millions.
Mike Salawou, Director for Infrastructure and Urban Development at the African Development Bank, reaffirmed the Bank’s role as lead arranger for the project’s financing. He said the Bank will work with the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development and other partners to mobilise the capital required. “Our fellow citizens are waiting for us to move along this corridor, to carry out their socioeconomic activities and facilitate trade,” he said.
Delegates also visited Abidjan’s recently completed fourth bridge, a major AfDB‑supported project that has eased congestion for residents of Yopougon. The Bank mobilised about $708 million for the bridge, with additional support from Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Global Environment Facility.
–AfDB/ChannelAfrica–
