ECOWAS launches $15b Lagos-Abidjan highway
By Femi Oritseju
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has
launched operating projects worth $734.8billion) regional economy. An aspect of the deal is the Lagos-Abidjan Highway expected to open up regional trade between Nigeria and West African countries.
The project is part of the enacted concurrent regional policies focused on facilitating trade and advancing infrastructural development. The African Development Bank (AfDB) is tasked with coordinating the financial architecture for this $15 billion regional development. To support the AfDB in driving the transnational motorway, financial backing will include.
Key initiatives include a cross-border capacity-building program in Togo and the maiden board meeting of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCOMA) in Nigeria. Held from June 11 to 12, 2026, this first Board of Directors session accelerated the project’s infrastructure track, The Guardian reported.The board finalized internal governance frameworks, procedural rules, and succession protocols to transition the six-lane supranational highway from the planning and investment stage into active field execution.
ALCOMA administers the Abidjan-Lagos development corridor—a multinational highway mandated by an accord between the leaders of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. The corridor will progressively open to traffic beginning in 2030.
In accordance with the Inter-Governmental Agreement’s rotation policy, the board appointed Benin’s Wilfrid Lauriano Do Rego as the inaugural Chairperson for a two-year term, with Ayadji Omolade Hodonou Sourou Jacques simultaneously assuming the Deputy Chairperson position.
Mr. Do Rego An auditor with more than 36 years of multinational experience, will oversee the board alongside ECOWAS representative Mr. Chris Appiah.
The board also established two temporary sub-committees: a Human Resources team to handle the hiring of a CEO and Legal Corporate Secretary, and a Finance group to manage operating budgets and secure investments.
