The programme has seen maintenance and upgrade work carried out to 2,000km of surfaced roads and 1,500km of existing dirt roads connecting conurbations benefiting from asphalt surfacing. The country’s highway network has increased from 140km to 400km while there are now 8,100km of surfaced roads connecting towns and cities, a figure that will be increased to 9,500km by 2025. Recent works have seen the revamping of routes to ensure they remain passable during the rainy season.
A loan package worth US$195.3 million from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is paying for construction work on two road links. And a new road is planned to improve transport connections between Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Much of the funding needed for the project is being supplied by the African Development Bank (AfDB). The 1,081km road will connect key ports and cities through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast. The route will be designed to cope with the heavy rainfall that occurs during the rainy season as well as climate change. The new highway route is the result of negotiations and agreements between the nations. This route will provide much-needed economic growth to each of the countries, helping also ensure better political stability for the West African region.
