TOGO · INFRASTRUCTURE
Key Facts
- What happened Togo proposed cutting the Abidjan-Lagos highway cost from US$15 billion to US$13 billion, or even US$10 billion.
- The road The planned six-lane highway would run about 1,028 kilometres through five West African countries.
- The meeting Ministers met in Lomé, Togo’s capital, on Friday 30 October 2026 for the 23rd steering committee.
- The proposal Togo also asked that costs be shared by how profitable each section is.
- Why it matters The corridor links West Africa’s biggest economies and needs private and development-bank money.
Togo has proposed cutting the cost of the planned Abidjan-Lagos highway to as little as US$10 billion, down from about US$15 billion. Sani Yaya, Togo’s deputy minister for public works, made the offer to ministers from five countries in Lomé on Friday 30 October 2026.
For US readers, the project matters because it would link Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria, with Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin along one trade route. Investors weighing West African infrastructure bonds and shipping routes will watch how the final bill is set.
What Happened
The meeting was the 23rd ministerial steering committee of the project, chaired by Nigeria’s Works Minister David Umahi. Officials of the regional bloc ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States), the African Development Bank and the new corridor authority also took part.
Yaya said the estimated cost of about US$15 billion could fall to US$13 billion, or to US$10 billion depending on the options chosen. He said that as long as one section stays unbuilt, the countries do not have a working corridor.
The Road and the Authority
The planned six-lane highway would run about 1,028 kilometres and connect Abidjan, Accra, Lomé, Cotonou and Lagos. Those five cities lie in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
The five countries created a joint body, the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA), to run the project. Togo urged that it fill its top posts, including a director-general, so that it can start work.
How Togo Wants to Share Costs
Togo asked the five countries to share costs according to how profitable each section of the road is. Busy sections would then help carry the cost of quieter ones.
Togo also proposed that the authority manage land purchases for the whole road, paid for by donors. Land clearance is often the slowest step in large road projects.
What It Means for You
If you invest in West African debt or infrastructure funds, a lower price tag could make the project easier to finance. A fight over who pays for which section could delay the first contracts.
Shippers and exporters would gain most from a faster road between Abidjan and Lagos, two of the region’s busiest port cities. Travellers will see no change soon, because no construction date has been confirmed.
What Is Not Known
The ministers did not say how the cost could fall by up to US$5 billion, for example by fewer lanes or shorter sections. Togo’s offer is a proposal, and the other four countries have not accepted it.
Published summaries do not give a firm start date for construction. It is also unclear who will lead ALCoMA, since the posts are still to be filled.
More: Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Will the Abidjan-Lagos Highway Cost?
The estimate has been about US$15 billion. On Friday 30 October 2026 Togo proposed US$13 billion, or as little as US$10 billion, depending on the options chosen.
Which Countries Does the Highway Cross?
It would cross Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria over about 1,028 kilometres. The route links Abidjan, Accra, Lomé, Cotonou and Lagos.
Who Will Run the Project?
A joint body called ALCoMA, the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority. Togo asked it to appoint a director-general and technical staff so that it can operate.
Sources: Abidjan-Lagos Corridor project, 23rd ministerial steering committee, Lomé, 30 October 2026; African Development Bank, Abidjan-Lagos Corridor project; ECOWAS Commission, corridor project.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error