The Federal Government has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the actualisation of the 1028km Lagos–Abidjan Corridor, a major regional highway expected to transform trade and connectivity across West Africa.
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, gave the assurance on Thursday during a high-level meeting with delegations from the ECOWAS Commission and the African Development Bank.
According to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Media, Francis Nwaze, the team visited the minister in his capacity as Chairman of the Steering Committee for the project and the country’s representative at the ministerial level.
The project connects Côte d’Ivoire from Abidjan, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria from Lagos.
Speaking at the meeting, Umahi conveyed the backing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that infrastructure development remains central to the administration’s agenda.
He explained that the Lagos–Abidjan corridor, spanning about 1,028 kilometres, is being developed to match the scale and ambition of Nigeria’s ongoing Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway. According to him, the project will feature reinforced concrete pavement, three lanes on each carriageway, and modern road design standards aimed at long-term durability.
He emphasised that the Lagos–Abidjan project is not isolated but part of a broader network of interconnected highways, including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and several legacy routes cutting across all six geopolitical zones.
On the Lagos–Abidjan corridor itself, the minister explained that there are unresolved issues.
He raised concerns about the design and the unequal distribution of the corridor length among participating countries.
He disclosed that Nigeria’s section of the corridor is approximately 79.5 kilometres but will be executed to a higher standard than originally proposed.
Umahi added that Nigeria is currently developing its own design framework, expected to be completed within two weeks, taking into account existing infrastructure and real-world conditions along the route.
He stressed that decisions on funding models must be taken at the highest political level before the project can proceed to procurement and full financing.
Earlier, the ECOWAS Director of Transport, Chris Appiah, explained that the mission was part of ongoing consultations with member states.
He noted that similar consultations had been held with Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo, while engagement with Benin is scheduled to follow its recent elections.
On financing, the African Development Bank delegation, led by Salawou Mike Moukaila, described the project as a top priority for the bank.
He explained that the bank is currently undertaking an “identification mission” across 25 countries to design a financing framework and kick-start an initial phase of the project.
