By Bright Kofi Agamah
The 17th Steering Committee Meeting on the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Programme has taken place in Lomé, the capital of Togo. The Steering Committee comprises Ministers in-charge of Roads and Infrastructure, or their representatives from Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire.
Following the Corridor Treaty signed on March 3, 2014, the committee has oversight responsibilities for the implementation of the corridor highway development project.
The meeting in the Togolese capital, on December 9, 2022, was to enable the Steering Committee to review the progress of the implementation of the project, project implementation constraints, and operationalization of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA), and to take concrete decisions and measures to fast-track its implementation. The meeting also reviewed the level of implementation of conclusions of the 17th Steering Committee meeting held on June 3, 2022, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Ghana’s Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Atta, said in a remark at the opening session, that while there has been progress in the feasibility and detailed design studies, the project is still not at the point where citizens along the corridor would appreciate much.
He indicated that steps are being taken to address the issues identified on the ground relating to the Ghana portion of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor to enable the consultants to make progress.
“A key thought issue is that of land acquisition for the Ghana section which constitutes over 50% of the entire length of the corridor. I implore you Mr. Chairman and the Honourable colleague members of this Steering Committee to consider by including the funds for the cost of land acquisition and compensation of affected persons as part of the entire project cost.”
He noted, “expecting the respective member states to bear the entire cost of this item will delay the project especially considering the likely huge cost that could be involved in compensating the affected properties.”
He said Ghana, has put a team together to start marking the alignment, stakeholder engagements and documenting the affected persons to assess the number of people as well as the properties that could be affected.
The Chairman of the Steering Committee, who is also the Nigerian Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, challenged members to be inspired by the recently inaugurated highway project linking Nigeria to Cameroun, which by extension links West Africa to Central Africa.
He said projects such as the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway, aimed at facilitating cross-border movement on the continent, deserve the collaborative efforts of all institutions to come into fruition.
Communique of the 17th Steering Committee Meeting on the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Programme
Meanwhile, in a Communique issued after the meeting, among others, affirmed the commitment of the Ministers and other Speakers to the implementation of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Project. They recommended the exploration of innovative financing options such as tax credit for project financing as an incentive for private sector participation.
The meeting thanked the two key Development Partners, African Development Bank and European Union, for their continued support and engagement to offset the delays experienced in the project implementation.
Operationalization of ALCoMA
The Ministers unanimously approved the commencement of the constitution of the ALCoMA Board and tasked ECOWAS to officially request nominations from Corridor Member Countries, to serve on the Board.
On the location of the Headquarters of ALCoMA, ECOWAS will make the necessary arrangements to convene a meeting of the five (5) Heads of State and Governments to conclude the decision.
Project Financing
The Lomé meeting suggested to the African Development Bank and European Union to consider the peculiar challenges of the project encountered by the Member States, especially relating to COVID-19, and be flexible with the deadline for the Financing Agreement for the Project.
Accra Bypass Tunnel Option.
The Steering Committee agreed that the Tunnel variant is the most preferred following the multi-criteria analysis of the alignment options around Accra.
Right Of Way
On the process to acquire and secure the Right of Way for the Project by Member States, the Steering Committee, agreed to a deadline of end of May 2023, to complete the process of securing and gazetting the Right of Way within the respective countries.
Communications & Visibility:
There is the need to enhance communication and promotion activities for the project. The Strategy should leverage on the communication tools and mechanisms existing of Member States to boost the visibility of the project to investors and financiers.
The Communique indicated that the next Steering Committee Meeting will take place on 10th March, 2023 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, to be preceded by experts meeting from 7th-9th March, 2023.
