The Economic Community of West African States and the African Development Bank Group hosted a two-day orientation and information session in Abidjan to onboard the 10-member Board of Directors of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority.

Held on 19–20 February 2026, the session is part of the Authority’s operational rollout following the board’s official swearing-in in December 2025 during the 22nd Ministerial Steering Committee meeting of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Project.

Stretching 1,028 kilometres, the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway is designed as a transformative regional infrastructure, connecting five West African economies and positioning itself as a major driver of trade and industrial growth by 2030.

During the session, participants were briefed on the Corridor Treaty, which outlines the project’s vision, supranational framework, and strategic objectives, as endorsed by the Heads of State of the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.

The programme also highlighted findings from technical studies on the planned highway, complemented by presentations on trade and transport facilitation, spatial development, value chains, logistics systems, and key economic hub projects.

Board members reviewed the institutional and legal framework underpinning the corridor, including the treaty, intergovernmental agreements, and draft international instruments establishing both the highway and its management authority.

The Board also conducted an initial review of its rules of procedure, charter, and the recruitment framework for the Director-General, administrators, and technical staff.

Leading the ECOWAS delegation, Director of Transport Chris Appiah emphasized the value of an integrated economic corridor model that blends infrastructure development with trade facilitation and socio-economic growth.

He called on stakeholders “to spare no effort in bringing this project to fruition,” noting that a seamless cross-border highway would greatly accelerate regional development.

The Director of the African Development Bank Group’s Infrastructure and Urban Development Department,
Mike Salawou, praised ECOWAS and member states for operationalizing the Authority and reaffirmed the bank’s role as the mandated lead arranger.

He noted that the bank would work with the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development and other partners to mobilize funding for the project.

The African Development Bank Group has mobilized approximately €600 million for the project, with additional support of €103 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and €6.4 million from the Global Environment Facility.