Abidjan – Lagos Highway Moves from Office Drawing to Field Implementation

The Abidjan – Lagos Highway has officially entered its implementation phase thanks to financing commitments by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, and the West African Development Bank (BOAD). AfDB is acting as lead arranger and intends to apply a #BlendedFinancing model with contributions from both the public and private sectors for the mega-project estimated to cost nearly USD 16 billion.

Construction is slated to kick off by the end of 2026, and completion is expected in 2030. The Highway covers a distance of 1,028 kilometers and traverses five countries: Nigeria – Benin – Togo – Ghana – Cote d’Ivoire. The super highway is a dual carriageway with 3 lanes in each direction.

In June 2026, the Abidjan – Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA) held its inaugural meeting in Lagos, Nigeria, and appointed Beninese Wilfried Lauriano do Rego as its Chairman for a two-year term. The appointment is in accordance with the Intergovernmental Agreement, which spells out that the charship shall rotate among the member states in alphabetical order.

It is worth highlighting that the Abidjan – Lagos Corridor is identified as a priority strategic project by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) under its Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). In particular, it was selected as one of the projects to be implemented under the 2nd PIDA Priority Action Plan 2021 – 2030. The Abidjan – Lagos Expressway also forms a segment of the longer Dakar – Lagos Highway within the Trans-African Highway (#TAH) network.