The Federal Government has announced that it is committed to speedily completing its section of the Lagos-Abidjan Highway.
This declaration of commitment was made by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi in his office on Thursday when he received a briefing on the ongoing construction of the Highway from an ECOWAS delegation led by Mr Sediko Douka, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization.
Umahi described the Lagos-Abidjan Highway project as a laudable move that would bring rapid integration and development in West Africa. The Minister, however, stressed the need to section the project for ease of work and speedy completion.
- “I think for ease of work and speedy completion, the project should be sectioned and put a process in place to make the project achievable because some sections might be viable while some other sections might not be.
- “We should fast-track the completion of our own section following the feasibility result and technical studies and design,“ the Minister said.
Advocacy for use of concrete pavement
The Works Minister also advocated for the use of concrete pavement on the Nigerian corridor of the Lagos-Abidjan Highway, citing durability and low maintenance as the advantages of concrete roads.
- In his words, “A lot of advantages to use concrete to construct roads, concrete roads last longer compared to asphalt roads reducing the need for frequent repairs and maintenance, it’s stronger and can withstand heavy traffic loads, it also has low maintenance and this has been adopted by the Nigerian government.”
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Mr Douka who led the ECOWAS delegation, in his remarks, pointed out that Africa’s economic integration has been hampered by large deficits in its transportation infrastructure.
According to the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization, the Lagos-Abidjan Highway project is part of the focus of the 2050 ECOWAS vision which seeks to enhance infrastructure development to bolster economic growth and integration of people in the West African region.
Douka explained that the 1,028 km Lagos-Abidjan Highway project was initiated by the Heads of States and Government of the Corridor Member States namely: Benin 128km, Cote d’Ivoire 155km, Ghana 576km, Nigeria 79.5km and Togo 89.2km in Yamoussoukro, Cote D’Ivoire on 28th February, 2013.
He further explained that the Minister of Works of Corridor Member States and the Commissioner of Infrastructure of the ECOWAS Commission would form the steering committee of the project.
The steering committee of the Lagos-Abidjan Highway project would provide oversight guidance for the implementation of the project, Douka added.
