The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is a unique agreement signed by 55 African countries in 2021 to push for free trade among African countries. In practice, however, African leaders are paying lip service to the simulation of free trade. Unlike the European Union, which uses a common currency, a common passport, and operates under a borderless diplomacy spectrum, the conferences of the African Union are more or less an avenue for talk shops filled with small talk and empty rhetoric.
The African Development Bank, however, has initiated a visionary project to walk the talk: The Abidjan-Lagos Trans-Africa Corridor. The 6- to 8-lane highway is part of the ECOWAS Vision 2050. It provides multiple opportunities to serve as a strategic lever to achieve the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
It will open up West Africa to East Africa and provide a road network linking port hubs in about five West African countries. It was originally designed to give landlocked countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger access to open port cities. However, their recent exit from ECOWAS means they may be excluded from the project.
The project, which commences in 2026, is expected to be completed by 2030. It has the potential to create about 70,000 direct and indirect jobs. The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Implementation Authority (ALCoMA) will drive the process, in collaboration with transport chiefs at ECOWAS and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
There is so much excitement in the air, as this is a huge leap in the practical approach to regional integration. If other subregional bodies like SADC, the Maghreb States, and the East and Central Africa Union carry out similar subregional integration projects—designed with synchronized standards—the African Continental Free Trade Agreement becomes more viable. This is especially true if we adopt a visa-free regime to drive the free movement of people and goods.
The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor forms the first phase of the Dakar-Lagos Trans-West African Coastal Corridor (Trans-Africa Highway Number 7), which is planned to link West Africa to Central and Eastern Africa via the route: Dakar–Lagos–Yaoundé–Bangui–Kampala–Nairobi–Mombasa. The Dakar-Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is a key priority project under the Trans-African Highway system of the ECOWAS region, whose development is part of the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).
The Abidjan-Lagos section is located along the east-west coastal axis of the West African region and covers five (5) ECOWAS member countries, namely Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. It spans approximately 1,080 kilometers and includes eight (8) border crossing points (four country-pair land borders). The current alignment of the corridor connects all major economic centers and capital cities of the five member countries—from Place de la République in Abidjan to Mile 2 (Eric Moore) in Lagos.
About the Author:
Douglas Ogbankwa Esq. is a Global Affairs Analyst
