The highway will connect Côte d&#8217;Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, regions that account for 75% of West Africa&#8217;s commercial activity.



A 1,028-kilometer project dubbed Abidjan-Lagos Highway Corridor, is slated to begin in 2026 and conclude by 2030, fueled by $15.6 billion in investment interest secured at an older edition of the Africa Investment Forum, an initiative led by the African Development Bank (AfDB), and eight founding partners. The transport sector in this corridor contributes between 5% and 8% to the region’s gross domestic product (GDP).


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="421" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Image-courtesy-of-AfDB-1024x421.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-63900" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Image-courtesy-of-AfDB-1024x421.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Image-courtesy-of-AfDB-300x123.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Image-courtesy-of-AfDB-768x316.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Image-courtesy-of-AfDB.jpg 1300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image courtesy of AfDB</figcaption></figure></div>


By 2050, the project is expected to serve 173 million urban residents, enhancing connectivity and economic integration across the subregion.



The highway will feature four to six lanes, expanding to eight in Lagos, Nigeria&#8217;s commercial capital. Beyond its benefits, the project is a cornerstone of AfDB&#8217;s Spatial Development Initiative which has outlined investments of $6.8 billion in sectors such as renewable energy, manufacturing, and agriculture. These interventions are projected to generate $16 billion in economic impacts and create over 230,000 direct and indirect jobs.



“The Abidjan-Lagos Highway is more than a road; it’s a lifeline for regional trade and integration,” says Nigerian exporter Oluwaseun Obilana to FORBES AFRICA. “For exporters like me, it means reduced transit times, fewer bottlenecks, and better access to regional markets, particularly in Côte d&#8217;Ivoire and Ghana.”



Despite its potential and the AfDB&#8217;s investment of $25 million in the preparatory phase, Nigerian analyst Moses Adeolubodun calls for sustainable planning. “While this project promises economic transformation, it must be accompanied by investments in governance and maintenance structures,” Adeolubodun says to FORBES AFRICA. “Ensuring the highway’s longevity will depend on effective management and the alignment of national priorities.”

Motorway in Nigeria

Lifeline For Regional Trade? Highway Linking Five West African Cities By 2030

The largest economy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) is set to boost its oil production by 2027, driven by new oil and gas finds in the Baleine and Calao offshore fields.



The President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, recently announced to a joint session of parliament that oil output is expected to more than triple, rising from 60,000 barrels per day to 200,000 barrels per day. To achieve this, over $15 billion is projected to be invested in the oil sector in the country, also known as Côte d&#8217;Ivoire.



Known as the world&#8217;s top exporter of cocoa and raw cashew nuts, and boasting a strong manufacturing sector, the country&#8217;s economy is expected to grow at around 7% annually from 2024 to 2027.



Italian company Eni plans to invest $10 billion in the Baleine field, with development spanning three phases from 2023 to 2027. The Baleine field, discovered by Eni in 2021, has estimated reserves of 2.5 billion barrels of oil and 3.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The Calao field, discovered in March, could hold between 1 billion and 1.5 billion barrels of oil.



Despite global challenges such as rising import prices and interest rates, Ivory Coast&#8217;s economy has seen growth rates of 6.9% in 2022 and 6.4% in 2023, experiencing some of the fastest sustained economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa.



&#8220;The latest ratings of our country by the rating agencies have all confirmed the resilience of our economy. Ivory Coast is today the ninth economy on the African continent, the third in French-speaking Africa after Algeria and Morocco, and the second economy in West Africa after Nigeria,&#8221; Ouattara told the joint session of parliament.

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FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Lifeline For Regional Trade? Highway Linking Five West African Cities By 2030

Cocoa Giant Ivory Coast Eyes 7% Annual Growth With Oil Sector Expansion