The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) held an orientation and technical briefing session for the newly inaugurated Board of Directors of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA) from February 19 to 20, 2026, in Abidjan. The session is part of the onboarding process following the official inauguration and swearing-in of ALCoMA’s board at the 22nd Ministerial Steering Committee meeting in December 2025.
This event marks a significant step as preparations advance for investment and construction phases of the planned six-lane highway connecting Abidjan, Accra, Lome, Cotonou, and Lagos. The highway is expected to become a major economic and industrial corridor in West Africa by 2030.
During the workshop, board members received information on the corridor treaty, its supranational status, objectives adopted by leaders of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, as well as feasibility studies and financing options for highway construction. They were also briefed on trade facilitation measures and economic development initiatives related to value chains, logistics projects, and communication services.
The session covered institutional frameworks governing the project such as legal agreements establishing both the corridor and its management authority. Board members reviewed internal procedures including rules of operation and recruitment processes for key staff positions within ALCoMA.
Chris Appiah, ECOWAS Director of Transport, said: “The integrated economic corridor approach being used which combines infrastructure development, facilitation and economic to corridor development.” He assured continued support from ECOWAS during upcoming phases for both highway development and full operationalization of ALCoMA.
Mike Salawou, AfDB Director of Infrastructure and Urban Development who led his institution’s delegation at the event stated: “The Bank highlighted the transformative potential of the project thus assured the Board and the ECOWAS Commission of the Banks commitment to ensure the financing of the construction phases of the Corridor Highway through multiple sources of financing mechanisms that is currently under consideration. He intimated that the Bank had already provided funds to cover the operations of ALCoMA for initial phases.”
ECOWAS aims to promote cooperation among member states through harmonized policies in areas like trade and transport with programs extending across twelve countries in West Africa. These efforts are directed by a president supported by commissioners according to the organization’s official website. The regional body holds authority under its treaty framework to align economic systems—including infrastructure policy—across member states using common mechanisms such as external tariffs. In recent years ECOWAS has also worked to improve accessibility through a multilingual website enhancing transparency about its activities.
The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway will span approximately 1,028 kilometers linking Côte d’Ivoire with Nigeria via Ghana, Togo, and Benin.