The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has wrapped up a two-day technical workshop in Banjul, The Gambia, focused on validating the optimal route for the ambitious Praia-Dakar-Abidjan highway.
The 3,164-kilometer supranational corridor will also feature a 600-kilometer maritime link.
The project will connect Cape Verde, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire, serving as a critical segment of the Trans-African Highway (TAH7), which ultimately aims to link Cape Verde to Lagos, Nigeria.
As a flagship initiative under ECOWAS, the highway is designed to enhance regional integration by facilitating the free movement of people and goods, reducing trade barriers, and promoting economic growth across the participating countries.
The Banjul workshop brought together road engineering experts, representatives from the eight involved Member States, as well as key financial partners such as the African Development Bank and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development.
Participants carefully reviewed the proposed route, evaluating its technical feasibility, economic viability, and environmental and social impacts to ensure a sustainable and efficient corridor for West Africa’s future connectivity.
Source: WAVN