File photo of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced the establishment of a 25-year master plan aimed at transforming the region’s infrastructure, with an estimated investment of $131 billion.
The plan outlines a comprehensive strategy to boost regional integration and economic development through large-scale infrastructure projects across member states.
Speaking at the launch of the 50th ECOWAS Anniversary celebration in Accra on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, described the plan as a pivotal step toward building a more connected, competitive, and economically vibrant region.
He noted that the initiative is expected to address critical gaps in cross-border connectivity, reduce trade barriers, and enhance the overall resilience of the region’s infrastructure.
“ECOWAS has developed a 25-year master plan which comprises 201 regional projects covering all member states. These have been estimated to cost about 131 billion dollars, targeting key sectors such as transport, energy, telecommunications, and water resources,” Dr Touray stated.
As part of this initiative, he highlighted the launch of several key infrastructure projects, including the Lagos–Abidjan Corridor Highway, the Abidjan–Praia Corridor Highway, various secondary corridors, and joint border posts.
“The 1,028-kilometer Lagos–Abidjan Corridor Highway is one of the largest infrastructure projects on the continent. So far, about 42 million dollars has been successfully mobilised to finance the technical preparatory studies of the project,” he added.
Dr Touray further emphasised that these infrastructure efforts align with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), aimed at fostering seamless trade and economic opportunities across the region.
“The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme is the region’s preferential trade arrangement. Since its inception, over 15,000 companies have been registered under the scheme, benefiting from preferential treatment on more than 50,000 products within ECOWAS,” he said.
SP/MA
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