Côte d’Ivoire’s strength in the development of the north-south corridor lies in the north-south roads and railways that link the port of Abidjan to the interior and neighbouring landlocked countries. These roads and railways have been built and maintained since colonial times. In addition, a motorway has recently been built between Abidjan and Yamoussoukro. It should also be noted that the railway from Abidjan to the landlocked country of Burkina Faso ensures the transport of goods despite capacity and speed constraints.
On the other hand, the interior of Côte d’Ivoire has strong potential not only for agricultural production of rice, maize, soybeans, vegetables and fruit, which could be targeted at coastal markets and those of neighbouring countries, but also for cashew nuts and cotton, which could be targeted at markets outside the subregion. Major regional cities in the interior, such as Bouaké and Korhogo, could offer opportunities for agro-food industries, as well as shopping and service centres.
Taking advantage of this relatively well-developed north-south transport corridor and its potential for internal development, it is necessary to extend the motorways to the north and to strengthen rail freight transport in order to attract investment in the economic sectors of the interior, targeting the sub-Saharan consumer markets that will benefit from future growth. To develop rail freight, a multimodal dry port will be built at Ferkessédougou in the interior to promote combined rail and road transport.
Côte d’Ivoire is the westernmost country in the WAGRIC sub-region and the furthest from the Lagos metropolitan area in Nigeria. To mitigate the effects of this disadvantage, a coastal motorway should be developed along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor. It is particularly important to develop and implement the project for the motorway section from the centre of Greater Abidjan to the east.
