By LYDIA NGWAKWE

Heads of ECOWAS member states met on Saturday to finalise and approve the design of the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway Development Project preparatory to initiating the procurement process at its next meeting.

The meeting which was held in Lagos, was chaired by Nigeria?s Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, discussed the project which is expected to cost 15 billion dollars and deepen regional economic integration.

The project is currently at its study phase, an indication that detailed research, planning, and design are still ongoing.

Highlighting the history and progress of the Lagos-Abidjan highway development project, Umahi mentioned that the project, initiated in 2013, had received significant funding support from the African Development Bank.

He noted that the current meeting aimed to finalise and approve the design of the project, as it was nearing a crucial stage where concrete steps towards implementation could be taken.

He noted that the heads of member states of ECOWAS have met to agree on the project and that various stages of development, including design, environmental impact assessment, and funding mechanisms, had been ongoing for the past 11 years.

?The design of the project, ESIA design, conceptualisation, funding mechanisms have been on in the past 11 years.

?As of today, we are going to listen to the committee of experts in terms of the design and so we believe that we will finalise and approve the design today, and then we set the goal for procurement, probably in our next meeting,? he said.

On his part, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Ghana, Mr Francis Boakye, emphasised the importance of infrastructure, particularly roads, in driving socio-economic development.

He highlighted how highways could facilitate trade, tourism, and economic activities, and cited the example of the United States? economic boom as evidence of this correlation.

Boakye emphasised the significance of the Lagos-Abidjan highway project in promoting economic integration within West Africa.

He also noted that the depth of Ghana?s involvement in the project demonstrated its commitment to regional economic integration.

Dr Amede Kouakou, Minister of Equipment and Road Maintenance of Cote d?Ivoire, said he, along with the other ministers involved in the Lagos-Abidjan highway development project, were committed to making accelerated progress with the project.

He specifically spoke of his intention to take deliberate steps to ensure that the project became a reality for the citizens of Cote d?Ivoire and Nigeria.

The Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway, scheduled to begin in 2025, is part of the greater Dakar-Lagos Corridor and one of the flagship priority development programmes of ECOWAS.

The about 1068 kilometers project will cover five ECOWAS member countries , namely ? C?te d?Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, and Nigeria, and will traverse eight border towns (four country-pair land borders) beginning from Eric Moore and ending in Abidjan.

The project is financed by the African Development Bank. (NAN)

?PHOTO: Heads of member states of ECOWAS at the 21st Ministerial Steering Committee meeting of the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway Development Project, on Saturday in Lagos.

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