Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has commenced a validation workshop as part of preparation for the implementation of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor highway development project.
The workshop, which was facilitated by the project implementation Unit of the Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) of the commission, was to share thoughts, ideas and comprehensively assess the physical, economic and social aspects of the highway project.
Speaking on the importance of the workshop, Chairman of Spatial Development Initiative, Mr. Ebere Izunobi, said experts from five-member state which includes; Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Cote D’Ivoire were drawn to discuss infrastructural development, which would transform lives along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.
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Mr. Izunobi disclosed that the Spatial Development Initiative was working on the 2050 ECOWAS vision, seeking to enhance infrastructure development recognized as a factor for economic growth and integration of people and contributes to the creation of a regional environment favourable to the free movement of people and goods.
According to him, transport infrastructure has been prioritized in the ECOWAS commission programmes. It was discussed and approved at the Heads of state summit that the highway, known as “Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway”, with the length of around 1028km, connect major cities and crosses an area with high economic potential.
“Spatial development initiative is the company designing the project. We are at the designing stage now, by the time the design would have been done at the end of this year with environmental assessment and engineering design, the scooping of the project tender documents would take it to the market.
“The road project can only be meaningful if it’s linked, facilitate and enhance businesses to develop, that’s why ECOWAS commission who is coordinating the project on behalf of member state got a consultant that will be overseeing the project built along the corridor”.
Answering question on the project funding, he explained that some funds came from donors and agencies such as African Development Bank, European Union and contributions from member state, adding that by 2024, packaging of procurement of the main construction and the construction will begin.
Mr. Izunobi reiterated SDI’s commitment to work with individual country, to ensure that countries along that corridor spring up developmental project such as port services along the coastal area, building of companies, evacuation of raw materials, importation of goods and services amongst other.
Also speaking, the Head of Road & Railways, ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Ashoke Maliki, stated that the Abidjan-Lagos highway corridor is an important socio-economic link in the ECOWAS region of the trans-African road and motorway programme.
He said that the project cannot be reduced to simple construction of highway, but a trade and coordinated set of intermodal transport and logistics infrastructures and services that facilitate trade.
Mr. Maliki noted that the Spatial Development Initiative is a company that identifies important project which cuts across agriculture, health and infrastructure as the workshop would afford the member state representatives opportunity to look and approve what SDI is presenting.
The 3-day workshop which begins on Wednesday the 13th of September runs through Friday the 15th, 2023.
